Carbonia

The territory of Carbonia has been inhabited since the Mesolithic as testified by the findings in Sirri site.
Sirri is a small hamlet in the municipality of Carbonia, in which a few dozen inhabitants live. It was a medieval judicial villa developed around the small church of Santa Lucia.
From an archaeological point of view Sirri hill is very important due to the presence of the prehistoric site of Su Carroppu.
This is a rock shelter used since the Mesolithic (about 11,000 years ago) as a burial and living place.
The traces dating back to the ancient Neolithic represented by burials and remains of “cardial” ceramics are significant. Cardial pottery, decorated with impressions thanks to the use of shells, especially cardium, was widespread in much of the western Mediterranean (particularly southern France) during the ancient Neolithic.
The funerary ritual is not very clear. The deceased was laid in a contracted position with stone slabs placed over the bodies. The funerary objects consisted of perforated shells and a stone pendant and probably ceramic containers and obsidian tools.
Inside the urban centre is the necropolis of Cannas di Sotto, which dates between the end of the Neolithic and the first centuries of the Copper Age. The site consists of 25 domus de janas with one or more chambers accessible from above or via a horizontal corridor.
Another important archaeological area in the territory of Carbonia is Monte Sirai.
On the slopes of this hill ending in a low plateau rises the Nuraghe Sirai, which comprises a complex and majestic nuraghe (dated 14th to 9th century BC) within a fortress (c. 625-550 B.C.) that includes a village characterized by the presence of numerous craft activities. This complex is a very important testimony to the emergence of a Sardinian-Phoenician community, as shown by the mixed architecture and the hybrid use ceramics, i.e. characterized by elements from both Nuragic and Phoenician cultures. The oldest glass workshop in Sardinia has been found here, as well as several kilns for firing ceramics and lime, a workshop for processing leather and remains of metal work.
The settlement is of fundamental importance for knowledge of the later period of the Nuragic civilization (Iron Age II, c. 730-510 BC), which coincides with the peak of the Phoenician presence in Sardinia.
On the summit of the plateau, moreover, are the remains of an important Phoenician-Punic settlement, which arose around the end of the 8th century BC in an area that shows traces of frequentation as early as the Neolithic and during the Nuragic period, as shown by the nuraghi on the plateau and on the flanks.
The position of Monte Sirai is absolutely strategic as regards communications between the very important Phoenician center of Sulky (S. Antioco) and the Sulcis mining sites. Very few traces remain of the Phoenician settlement, referable to a few houses and a necropolis with incineration burials. The fulcrum seems to be the so-called mastio (keep), a large structure, built on the remains of a previous nuraghe, probably intended for cultic purposes, as suggested by the numerous votive objects found inside, including a statue of Astarte.
With the Punic conquest of Sardinia, the city of Monte Sirai expanded and was equipped with a circle of walls.
The houses are organized in parallel neighborhoods on the top of the hill. The architectural typology is typical of the Punic period: stone plinth, mud brick walls and elevation in perishable material.
In the Punic era, the funerary ritual changed from incineration to the prevailing inhumation, inside underground chamber tombs with access corridors.
The tophet, the open-air sanctuary dedicated to the burial of not born children or who died in early age, also dates back to the Punic age. The tophet of Monte Sirai is organized into two terraces connected by a ramp: the lower terrace houses the urns with the remains of children and incinerated animals, while on the upper terrace there is a small chapel.
The site was abandoned at the beginning of the Roman period, at the end of the 2nd century BC.
In the industrial area of the city of Carbonia (PIP), a large villa from the Roman era was found, but it cannot be visited at present.

ph. Patrimonio culturale – Sardegna Virtual Archaeology Progetto a cura della Regione Autonoma della Sardegna, Direzione Generale dei Beni Culturali, Informazione, Spettacolo e Sport Progetto cofinanziato dall’Unione Europea Programma Operativo FESR 2007-2013