Nuragic complex of S'Arcu 'e Is Forros

The Nuragic complex of S'Arcu 'e Is Forros is an important archaeological site located in the territory of Villagrande Strisaili, in the province of Nuoro, Italy. Situated in the valley of riu Pira 'e Onni on a highland at the boundary between the Barbagia and Ogliastra areas, the site occupies a vast territory known by the ancient toponym Inter Abbas. It functions as a village-sanctuary and is considered the most important metallurgical center discovered in Nuragic Sardinia. The complex demonstrates the progressive evolution of cultural facies from the Middle Bronze Age to the early Iron Age, alongside extensive trade connections with Etruria, Greece, and the eastern Mediterranean. It is one of 31 Sardinian sites proposed for UNESCO World Heritage status.

The site experienced two main constructive moments. The first settlement dates to the evolutionary phases of the Middle Bronze Age around 1500 to 1400 BC, consisting of several huts built on the highest part of the hill. In the Final Bronze Age around 1200 BC, during the second major phase, megaron temples were erected over these pre-existing huts. Religious buildings were constructed between the 12th and 9th centuries BC. Temple 1 underwent multiple phases, including a violent fire in the 12th or 11th century BC that led to a reorganization of the interior space and facade. Temple 2 also shows three distinct building phases, starting in the Recent Bronze Age with a rectangular temple in antis and a semi-circular base, later modified during the Final Bronze Age with the addition of a temenos. From the 1980s, the Sardinia Archaeology Superintendency under Dr. Maria Ausilia Fadda conducted digs to halt damage from clandestine diggers, leading to the discovery of objects of considerable scientific value.

The archaeological assemblage from S'Arcu 'e Is Forros reveals a thriving, dynamic trade network and a profound interconnection between metallurgy and the sacred sphere. Finds include abundant ceramic remains from the oldest layers, such as cooking pots with internally decorated comb-pattern surfaces, jars with cylindrical necks, carinated bowls, and crushing hammers from river pebbles. Metallic and non-metallic objects originating from Etruria, Greece, and the Near East attest to intense extra-island contacts. Notable imports include an Egyptian scarab and an inscribed Canaanite amphora classified by some scholars as bearing a Philistine inscription, demonstrating relations between Sardinia and the Levant. Numerous bronze items, including several Nuragic bronzetti figurines, and stone votive vases were offered to the deity and deposited in the temple chapels.

Significant artifacts recovered from the site include a bronze figure of an archer found to the left of a drainage channel in Temple 1. The warrior wears a helmet with long horns over a careful coiffure and long sideburns, a double necklace, a double tunic, a decorated pectoral, a rectangular protection plate, decorated and laced greaves, a quiver with arrows and dagger, and two elegant fringed bands on his shoulders. Other notable finds include a limestone model of a nuraghe, 18 centimeters high and 15 centimeters in diameter, featuring a central hole and six peripheral perforations, discovered on the right side of Temple 1 where offerings were deposited. A bronze pendant representing an axe and small lead-soldered bronze leaf vases were found in place on cupules at the temenos entrance. The elaborate votive altar from Temple 2, featuring basalt and red sandstone ashlars in a sophisticated two-tone arrangement and sculpted ram protomes in high relief, has been largely removed and is currently housed in the National Archaeological Museum of Nuoro.

The monuments are constructed from large blocks of local granite, chosen for their immediate availability, and schist, a soft rock used for temple roofs possibly due to its ability to refract sunlight. The site encompasses 18 hectares and includes three megaron temples, hut clusters, a trilobate complex nuraghe, and a small giant's tomb. Temple 1, a monumental megaron 17 meters long and 5.50 to 6.50 meters wide, is divided into four axially connected rooms. Its walls feature an internal bench, and a channel drains ritual water outside. It sits within a sub-oval temenos incorporating an older hut wall. Temple 2, approximately 14.5 meters long, has a semi-circular rear wall divided into three rooms. Nearby the temples are two interconnected circular towers with square lower openings, identified as furnaces for melting copper, lead, and iron. The residential area features building blocks opening onto circular courtyards with central hearths, including workshops with furnaces for recovering metals from votive offerings. During the winter solstice, the sun rises exactly in the center of the temple thresholds.

The archaeological complex is located at kilometer 41 of the SS389var road between Budduso and Correboi, accessible via an unpaved road from the nearby viaduct. The site is closed on Mondays and may close during adverse winter weather. Operating hours vary seasonally, with special openings at 7:00 a.m. for the winter solstice. Guided tours last approximately one hour and fifteen minutes. Admission is 5 euros for a full-price ticket, 3 euros reduced, and 8 euros for a combined ticket with the Sa Carcaredda site by reservation. The site hosts the annual NurArcheoFestival, which reached its sixteenth edition in 2024, and participates in the IT.A.C.A festival of responsible tourism. Contact information for the site is available via telephone and email through the Archeo Ogliastra organization.