image/svg+xml
31
XIV/1/2023
INTERDISCIPLINARIA ARCHAEOLOGICA
NATURAL SCIENCES IN ARCHAEOLOGY
homepage: http://www.iansa.eu
The Chronology of Monte d’Accoddi (Sardinia, Italy) –
New Radiocarbon Dates
Maria Grazia Melis
1*
1
Department of History, Humanities and Education, University of Sassari, Via Zanfarino 62, 07100 Sassari, Italy
1. Introduction
The site of Monte d’Accoddi is to be found in north-
western Sardinia, 3.4 km to the south of Platamona beach
(Figure 1). The earliest feld investigations were carried out
by Ercole Contu between 1952 and 1959. His work brought
to light the most recent of the two monuments, which was
built from large polygonal stone blocks. The excavation
of the surrounding area led to the discovery of a village of
quadrangular dry-walled huts (Figures 1–3). An examination
of the fnds led him to attribute the construction of the
monument to the frst phase of the Ozieri cultural
facies
(frst
half of the 4
th
millennium cal. BC). Finds of more recent
dates are evidence of occupation in later phases of prehistory,
whereas a stone ring may indicate earlier sporadic occupation
during the Early or Middle Neolithic (Contu, 1992; 2000).
A second series of feld investigations was carried out
between 1979 and 1989. These were followed by large-
scale rebuilding and restoration of the monument (Figure 2),
implemented on the basis of a hypothetical reconstruction by
Santo Tiné, who had directed the stratigraphic excavations.
The most important discovery was the identifcation,
within the monument itself, of a more ancient building,
featuring red-painted wall plaster and with its own ramp,
and containing at its summit, a rectangular
sacellum
. Also
of great signifcance was the acquisition of six radiocarbon
dates, which have enlivened the debate over the chronology
of the construction phases (Tinè and Traverso, 1992).
More recent studies include those undertaken by Antonella
Traverso on a portion of the pottery fnds recovered during
the excavations directed by Tinè. These studies contributed
to the interpretation of the stratigraphic sequence, as well as
identifying morphological and technological characteristics
of the fnds themselves (Traverso, 2005–2007).
The earliest research by the author of this paper was
aimed at the morphological and typological study of pottery
fnds from Hut p-s, attributed to an occupation phase of
the 3
rd
millennium cal. BC. Subsequently this research
has been extended to all of the fnds recovered during the
excavations directed by Ercole Contu, as part of a project
aimed at: the overall analyses of stone, clay, hard animal
materials and metal artefact production processes; defning
the chronology of the building and its various phases of use;
and the reconstruction of the character of the settlement that
developed around this central monument.
As the radiocarbon results published by Tinè and
their subsequent interpretation were inconsistent with
the chronological and cultural framework of Sardinian
Volume XIV ● Issue 1/2023 ● Pages 31–40
*Corresponding author. E-mail: mgmelis@uniss.it
ARTICLE INFO
Article history:
Received: 11
th
July 2022
Accepted: 2
nd
November 2022
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.24916/iansa.2023.1.2
Key words:
chronology
radiocarbon
Monte d’Accoddi
prehistory
Sardinia
ABSTRACT
The shrine at Monte d’Accoddi constitutes an architectural
unicum
in the context of the Mediterranean
of the 4
th
millennium cal. BC. The building comprised of a terrace with an access ramp, a form that
has led to an ongoing debate as to the possible origins of this architectural model. In its earliest phase,
attributable to the frst half of the 4
th
millennium cal. BC, the edifce consisted of a truncated pyramidal
core. During the second half of the same millennium this was englobed by a second building, similar
to the frst in general shape, but much larger and with a central, possibly stepped, core. The site was
occupied during the 3
rd
millennium cal. BC and occasionally so during the following proto-historic and
subsequent phases of history. This paper will present new radiocarbon dates that will help to defne
the construction and occupation phases of the monument as well as the settlement that grew around it.
image/svg+xml
IANSA 2023 ● XIV/1 ● 31–40
Maria Grazia Melis: The Chronology of Monte d’Accoddi (Sardinia, Italy) – New Radiocarbon Dates
32
prehistory, in an early phase of research they were re-
examined and compared to new dates originating from
other sites, with the aim of clarifying the chronology of
the monument. The results confrmed Contu’s hypothetical
attribution of the early construction phase to the frst half
of the 4
th
millennium cal. BC (Final Neolithic; cultural
facies
of Ozieri I) and of the second to the second half of the
4
th
millennium cal. BC (Early Eneolithic; cultural
facies
of
Figure 1.
Monte d’Accoddi. 1: Position
of the site. 2: The second monument in
a 1979 photograph, before the excavation
and restoration work carried out by Tiné
(according to Tinè and Traverso, 1992,
Plate I).
Figure 2.
The second monument following
restoration (photo Oben s.r.l.).
image/svg+xml
IANSA 2023 ● XIV/1 ● 31–40
Maria Grazia Melis: The Chronology of Monte d’Accoddi (Sardinia, Italy) – New Radiocarbon Dates
33
Table 1.
The new radiocarbon dates associated with the stratigraphic data.
image/svg+xml
IANSA 2023 ● XIV/1 ● 31–40
Maria Grazia Melis: The Chronology of Monte d’Accoddi (Sardinia, Italy) – New Radiocarbon Dates
34
Ozieri II). This reconstruction was founded by considering
as
terminus ad quem
the fnds from the Final Neolithic, that
were the most recent among those contained in the formation
layers of the oldest monument. In the same way, the Early
Eneolithic ceramics are the latest fnds in the formation
layers of the second monument and therefore represent
the
terminus ad quem
for that building. Examination of
the archive documentation (site logs, sketches, drawings
and photographs) and the accessible fnds in the museum
storerooms using a morphological-typological approach,
made it possible to reconstruct the frequentation phases of
the shrine before, during and after the construction of the
ramped monument (Melis, 2011).
This paper forms part of that project and is aimed at
providing a more precise understanding of the construction
and occupation phases of the monument and the surrounding
settlement.
2. Methodology
The principal difculties with this type of fnds analyses
have been, and remain, those that often concern the contexts
from earlier excavations. These have included: reviewing
site documentation, interpreting stratigraphy, recovering and
identifying fnds, and accessing the fnds in the storerooms
of the Museum and the Archaeological
Soprintendenza
.
An important aid to the research was the examination of
the existing archive and iconographical documentation.
A valuable resource was provided by the sketches, often
Figure 3.
Plan of the monument and of the
surrounding area, subdivided by trenches
and sectors (according to Contu, 1992, Plate
XXXVI).
0 10 m
image/svg+xml
IANSA 2023 ● XIV/1 ● 31–40
Maria Grazia Melis: The Chronology of Monte d’Accoddi (Sardinia, Italy) – New Radiocarbon Dates
35
extremely accurate and including measurements, drawn
by Contu in his site diary: this help has contributed to the
identifcation of unnumbered fnds and their association to
the context they were recovered from.
The acquisition of new dates was made possible thanks
to the recent recovery by Marco Zedda of several boxes of
fauna remains from Monte d’Accoddi. These fnds had been
sent by Contu to the Museum of Bergamo to be studied, but
they were never examined.
A later stage of the research was begun in collaboration
with Marco Zedda in archaeozoological studies (that are
still underway) and further analyses of chronological
issues. Samples of the animal remains were taken for
radiocarbon analyses. These were subjected to accelerator
mass spectrometry (AMS) at the
Centro di Datazione
e Diagnostica
(CEDAD) at the
Università del Salento
(Lecce). The dates were calibrated in OxCal v.4.4.4 using
the IntCal20 atmospheric curve (Reimer
et al.
, 2020; Bronk
Ramsey, 2009; 2021).
The sampling strategy took into consideration the
excavation methods employed by Contu: the area
surrounding the monument was divided into trenches,
each of them then subdivided into sectors (Figure 3). The
excavation was subsequently carried out through artifcial
“levels” and not through single-context stratigraphy. This
remains the foremost problem concerning the stratigraphical
data. In each trench at least 8 levels were indicated (in some
cases as many as 10). However, as these were artifcially
created levels, there was not necessarily any correspondence
between levels from one trench to another. In order to
identify the earliest occupation phases of the area, samples
were taken from the deepest levels, where this possibility
existed. Trench X, among those containing the most fnds,
was chosen for the acquisition of dates from samples in
stratigraphic order. Unfortunately, not all the levels in the
same sector contained animal remains, making it necessary
to look at diferent sectors of the same trench and even to
other trenches, while being fully aware of a possible lack of
correspondence. Contemporaneously the fnds data and the
stratigraphic relationships were examined and compared to
the radiocarbon dates.
3. Results
Seventeen samples were analysed. They were collected from
the following trenches: I, III North sector; VI East sector;
X South sector; North and subsector III; XI East sector; XII
(Table 1). For the samples taken from trenches I and XII the
documentation did not specify a sector. Two of the samples
did not deliver any results.
Seeing as how sample LTL19206A, taken from level 8 of
trench X-N, gave an incongruous result (a more recent dating
than the one recorded for level 6), the reading was repeated
on a second sample (LTL20014A) from the same level, sector
and trench (Table 1. H). The second dating is consistent with
the associated fnds. These are reliably referable to Ozieri I,
being comparable to material from other contexts also
datable to the frst half of the 4
th
millennium cal. BC.
In the same way, as the dating of sample LTL19205A,
taken from level 7 of trench X-N-III, provided a result too
recent with respect to its stratigraphical position, the dating
was repeated on another sample (LTL20013A) taken from
the same place (Table 1. I). This level yielded pottery
fragments relating to Ozieri I (associable to the most ancient
dating), Ozieri II and to the Final Eneolithic.
A further incongruous result came from X-8-N-III
(Table 1. J): in level 8 the excavation revealed the presence
of a layer of ash (which gave the date LTL19208A),
overlying a layer (date LTL20018A), which, based on the
radiocarbon dating, was more recent than that of the layer
above.
The examination of such incongruities, together with the
analysis of the fnds, made it possible to verify the degree of
stratigraphical reliability of the various sectors, and in some
cases has confrmed instances of disturbance. For example,
a stratigraphical irregularity recorded in X-8-N datable to
the 3
rd
millennium is confrmed by the presence of a pottery
fragment belonging to the same vessel as a fragment found
in level 7. In summary, it seems possible that the most recent
dates evidence disturbances of the stratigraphy, perhaps
due to animal burrowing leading to fnds being dragged or
slipping into lower layers. The dates associated with disturbed
layers, while little use for dating those same deposits, can be
important however in confrming occupation of the shrine
over the timespan that they represent.
The results confrmed the occupation of the site from the
last centuries of the 5
th
millennium cal. BC through to the
end of the 3
rd
millennium cal. BC. The most ancient dating
(Table 1. C) was recorded in the lowest level of trench III,
sector N. This was attributable to a Late Neolithic settlement
(the San Ciriaco cultural
facies
). The Final Neolithic, to which
the construction of the frst ramped monument is dated, is
amply documented both by fve radiocarbon dates (Table 1.
A, E, H-LTL20014A, I-LTL20013A, J-LTL19208A) and
by a notable quantity of fnds. These were present in almost
all the levels. Three dates (Table 1. G, J-LTL19208A, L),
relative to the middle centuries of the 4
th
millennium cal.
BC, correspond to a transition phase between the Neolithic
and the Eneolithic. The Early Eneolithic, during which the
second ramped monument was built, is documented by
three dates (Table 1. B, D, F). Lastly, three dates confrm
occupation of the site during the Middle (Table 1. K), Late
(Table 1. H-LTL19206A) and Final Eneolithic (Table 1.
I-LTL19205A).
4. Discussion
The radiocarbon dates are representative of all the
occupation phases of the shrine, as identifed by the study
of the fnds, with the exception of occasional frequentation,
documented by fnds relating to the Bronze Age and the
subsequent historical period. The earliest human presence
image/svg+xml
IANSA 2023 ● XIV/1 ● 31–40
Maria Grazia Melis: The Chronology of Monte d’Accoddi (Sardinia, Italy) – New Radiocarbon Dates
36
may possibly be represented by the fnd of a schist stone
bracelet (Figure 4). This was found together with a few
pottery fragments referable to the cultural facies of the 3
rd
millennium cal. BC in Level 4 of Trench IX, East sector,
which did not provide any radiocarbon dates. This class of
fnd is generally attributed to the Early or Middle Neolithic,
the period to which fnds of similar rings in Europe,
continental Italy and in Sardinia are principally ascribed
(Ribero, 2017; Pétrequin
et al.
, 2019; Martinez-Sevilla
et al.
,
2021). However, very often these artefacts have been found
out of context and their chronological-cultural attribution, if
arrived at on a purely morphological-typological basis, could
be considered unreliable. In fact, type AB2, to which group
the Monte d’Accoddi example belongs (Tanda, 1977), is
represented in Italy by 6 stone bracelets, referable to diverse
chronological-cultural contexts, spanning the Early and
Recent Neolithic (Ribero, 2017).
Sardinian stone bracelets have been found in 12 sites: for
5 of these there is no chronological-cultural indication as
to the context they were found in. Only the bracelet from
Filiestru originates in a layer attributable to an advanced
phase of the Early Neolithic (5300–4900 cal. BC). The
artefact from Nostra Signora del Buon Cammino was
a surface fnd recovered with material from the Early and
Middle Neolithic. In other cases, an attribution to the Middle
Neolithic has been suggested (4900–4400 cal. BC), but
this remains unconfrmed due to a lack of diagnostic fnds
or because they were recovered together with fnds from
later periods. Of particular relevance is the exemplar from
Liscia Pirastru, which had evidence of occupation during the
Final Neolithic (4000–3400 cal. BC) and possible evidence
of frequentation during the Late Neolithic (4000–3400 cal.
BC). Therefore chronologically, Sardinian stone bracelets
existed between the Early and Final Neolithic. Thus, we
cannot exclude an attribution of the bracelet from Monte
d’Accoddi to the Late or Final Neolithic, phases that are
well represented both through dating and fnds at Monte
d’Accoddi. This dating appears more convincing, especially
considering that no fnds pre-dating the Late Neolithic were
recovered.
In view of this, a comparison with the chronology of
Corsican bracelets becomes interesting, even if only one
example has a similar shape to that from Monte d’Accoddi.
However, drawing a comparison is necessary, considering
the strong relationship that developed between Sardinia and
Corsica during the Neolithic, as testifed by the circulation
of raw materials, by the shared funerary model of the
cofre
, and by the spread of formal models in the feld of
pottery production. In Corsica stone bracelets have been
found in 12 sites, localised mainly in the south of the island.
As in the case of Sardinia, in many instances there is no
information as to the context they were found in, or they
were recovered in multi-phase sites without a clear cultural
association. Furthermore, two cases of transformation and
reuse as pendants are known in the ambit of the Eneolithic
at Terrina IV (Camps, 1988) and during the Bronze Age at
Castiddacciu (Jehasse, 1980). Nevertheless, in 50% of the
fnds the context in which they were recovered is ascribable
to the Corsican Middle Neolithic II: the
cofre
burials at
Tivulaghju (
cofre
B; Tramoni
et al.
, 2007) and Foce (Pasquet,
1979), the rock shelters at San Ciprianu (Tramoni, D’Anna,
2016) and Torre d’Aquila (Magdaleine, 1995), the open-
air settlements of Pastini-Foce (Tramoni
et al.
, 2007) and
A Guaita (Lorenzi, 2021). The Corsican Middle Neolithic II
began around 4400 cal. BC, at the same time as the Late
Neolithic was beginning in Sardinia (the San Ciriaco cultural
facies
) and ended around 3900 cal. BC, when the transition
to the Final Neolithic had already happened in Sardinia (the
Ozieri I cultural
facies
).
The integration of the results of the new dating at Monte
d’Accoddi with those previously published dates, with the
stratigraphical context together with the study of the fnds
has made it possible to defne the occupation sequences of
the shrine more accurately (Figure 5; Table 2), as illustrated.
4.1 Phase 1 (Late Neolithic)
This phase is represented by a settlement at Monte
d’Accoddi, typifed by the substructures identifed by Tiné
in diverse areas (Tinè and Traverso, 1992). Pottery fnds
recovered by Contu in numerous levels as well as in a trial
trench dug roughly 90 m to the NE of the monument can
also be assigned to this period. The San Ciriaco cultural
facies
, documented across the whole of Sardinia in the
period between 4400 and 4000 cal. BC, was involved in the
phenomenon of the earliest megalithic funerary monuments,
consisting of
cofres
surrounded by stone circles. This same
Figure 4.
Stone bracelet. 1: Sketch by Ercole Contu. 2: Drawing (Archives of the
Soprintendenza Archeologia, belle arti e paesaggio per le province di
Sassari e Nuoro
).
0 5 cm
image/svg+xml
IANSA 2023 ● XIV/1 ● 31–40
Maria Grazia Melis: The Chronology of Monte d’Accoddi (Sardinia, Italy) – New Radiocarbon Dates
37
model appears in a slightly earlier period in Corsica, which
endured for the entire second half of the 5
th
millennium cal.
BC. The presence of Sardinian obsidian, and of pottery
bearing formal characteristics analogous to those of San
Ciriaco, confrm the existence of a strong relationship
between the two islands. From a terminological point of
view, in Corsica the period between 4900 and 4400 cal. BC
is entitled Middle Neolithic I, and that between 4400 and
3900 cal. BC Middle Neolithic II. For the Sardinian San
Ciriaco cultural
facies,
the term Late Neolithic is preferable,
as several elements suggest it should be considered a distinct
phase and not a sub-phase of the Middle Neolithic. These
include the apparition of megalithic
cofres
and the rock-cut
tombs known as
domus de janas.
Figure 5.
Complete list of the radiocarbon dates.
image/svg+xml
IANSA 2023 ● XIV/1 ● 31–40
Maria Grazia Melis: The Chronology of Monte d’Accoddi (Sardinia, Italy) – New Radiocarbon Dates
38
4.2 Phase 2a-b (Final Neolithic)
At the beginning of the 4
th
millennium cal. BC (phase 2a)
a settlement attributed to the Ozieri I cultural
facies
existed
at Monte d’Accoddi, in a period of demographic growth and
technological development in the feld of the transformation
of raw materials and architecture in Sardinia. This phase
also corresponds to the period of maximum exploitation and
difusion of Sardinian obsidian both in Sardinia and in the
western basin of the Mediterranean.
In this cultural scenario the frst ramp-and-terraced
monument was built and the settlement that surrounded
it continued to be occupied (phase 2b). The existence of
a sub-phase of occupation during the Final Neolithic, before
the building of the frst monument, is demonstrated by the
presence of diagnostic pottery in the formation layers of the
edifce.
The positioning of a
menhir
to the west of the ramp may
have occurred in this or in the preceding phase. The dating
resulting from the area of the
menhir
(Figure 5, UZ-475/
ETH4716) cannot be attributed to the erection of the monolith,
which from a stratigraphical point of view is older than the
second monument, but rather to the occupation of the Early
Eneolithic settlement, of which several substructures were
found to the west of the ramp, near to the area of the
menhir.
4.3 Phase 3 (Final Neolithic – Early Eneolithic)
The transition phase between the Neolithic and the
Eneolithic at Monte d’Accoddi is represented by four dates
that correspond to a period of occupation of the shrine
before the second monument was built. The extraordinary
fnd of a sperm whale tooth (Table 1.L) belongs to this
phase, adding to the number of attestations of this type of
cetacean in the prehistoric Mediterranean (Melis and Zedda,
2021). The transition from the Neolithic to the Eneolithic
is well documented in the settlement at Su Coddu/Canelles
Table 2.
Occupation timeline of the shrine.
PhaseAgeCultural faciesType of occupation
1Late NeolithicSan CiriacoSettlement. Necropolis (?)
2aFinal Neolithic
Ozieri I
Settlement
2bFinal Neolithic
Ozieri I
Construction and occupation of the 1
st
terraced building. Settlement surrounding
the 1
st
terraced building
3
Final Neolithic – Early
Eneolithic
Ozieri I-IIOccupation of the 1
st
terraced building and surrounding settlement
4aEarly Eneolithic
Ozieri IIOccupation of the 1
st
terraced building and surrounding settlement
4bEarly Eneolithic
Ozieri II
Construction and occupation of the 2
nd
terraced building. Settlement
surrounding the 2
nd
terraced building
5Middle Eneolithic Filigosa; Monte ClaroSettlement surrounding the 2
nd
terraced building
6
Late Eneolithic
Abealzu; Monte Claro;
Bell Beaker
Settlement surrounding the 2
nd
terraced building
7Final Eneolithic Bell BeakerSettlement surrounding the 2
nd
terraced building
8
Early Bronze Age –
Final Bronze Age
Bonnanaro; NuragicBurial. Sporadic occupation
9Historical AgeVarious periodsSporadic occupation
(southern Sardinia) in Pit 134, from which pottery, stone
and hard animal material fnds were recovered. These had
intermediate morphological and technological characteristics
between the Final Neolithic and the Early Eneolithic, with
a dating ranging between 3630 and 3371 cal. BC (LTL2930A,
4708 ± 45 BP, 3630-3556 [22.6%], 3538-3482 [23.2%],
3476-3371 [49.6%] cal. BC; Melis, 2013).
4.4 Phase 4a-b (Early Eneolithic)
At the beginning of the Eneolithic the frequentation of
the oldest monument is confrmed by fnds of diagnostic
pottery on the foor of the
sacellum
, positioned at the
summit of the building. The existence of a sub-phase of
frequentation during the Early Eneolithic (phase 4a) before
the construction of the later building is also established by
diagnostic pottery fnds in the formation layers of the second
monument. A large-scale rebuilding intervention was made
necessary by structural instability (phase 4b): the building
was incorporated into a larger structure possessing similar
general characteristics.
Several elliptical substructures relative to an Early
Eneolithic settlement were brought to light during the
excavations run by Tiné to the west of the ramp.
4.5 Phases 5 and 6 (Middle and Late Eneolithic)
Occupation during the 3
rd
millennium cal. BC was formerly
only attested by fnds and building remains to the east of
the monument, that are stratigraphically later than the
monument. It is now confrmed by the radiocarbon dates.
The frst is attributable to the Filigosa cultural
facies
of
the Middle Eneolithic (Table 1.K). The presence of pottery
fnds belonging to the Monte Claro cultural
facies
could also
be attributed to this and/or to the succeeding phase: this is
based on radiocarbon dates from other sites, developing over
a long period between the Middle and the Late Eneolithic.
image/svg+xml
IANSA 2023 ● XIV/1 ● 31–40
Maria Grazia Melis: The Chronology of Monte d’Accoddi (Sardinia, Italy) – New Radiocarbon Dates
39
The second date (Table 1.H), therefore, may be ascribable to
this cultural
facies
or to the coeval Abealzu. The important
context of Hut p-s, situated to the north-east of the monument,
is attributable to the latter. Interestingly, it was destroyed by
fre, preserving intact evidence of its last phase of existence.
Unfortunately, the context was not datable, as none of the
available fauna remains came from the hut itself.
4.6 Phase 7 (Final Eneolithic)
Occupation during the Final Eneolithic, recognisable by the
presence of fnds attributable to Bell Beaker (Melis, 2019), is
also confrmed by a date (Table 1.I), which partially overlaps
the Late Eneolithic. This characteristic conforms to the
picture presented by the few existing radiocarbon dates for
the second half of the 3
rd
millennium cal. BC, which makes
it impossible to identify a clear delimitation between the
Late and the Final Eneolithic. The limited number of fnds
implies an infrequent occupation of the shrine. However,
the presence of Bell Beaker material at Monte d’Accoddi
may have begun earlier, as suggested by pottery fragments
typical of the international style and by formal similarities
with pottery belonging to the other cultural
facies
of
the 3
rd
millennium cal. BC. This hypothesis may also be
supported by the dating of the Bell Beaker site at Bingia ‘e
Monti (Perra and Lai, 2020). In particular the most ancient of
these dates (MAMS26891, 3984±29 BP, 2578–2456 cal. BC
2σ), if not attributable to the construction phase and earliest
use of the tomb, ascribed to Monte Claro, would make it
possible to backdate by about a century the presence of
Bell Beaker in Sardinia. However, considering the meagre
evidence available, it remains necessary to await eventual
confrmation through dates obtained from radiometric and
stratigraphical data.
4.7 Phases 8 and 9 (Bronze Age and Historical Age)
From the end of the 3
rd
millennium cal. BC the frequentation
of the shrine became sporadic and remains unverifed through
radiocarbon dates. An infant burial, containing grave goods
of a tripod vase and a bowl, is attributable to the frst phase
of the Early Bronze Age, between the end of the 3
rd
and the
beginning of the 2
nd
millennium cal. BC. A few scarce pottery
fragments are attributable to the Middle and the Final Bronze
Age. Lastly, the Historical Age yielded fnds from various
periods: a glass bead, pottery fragments and several coins.
5. Conclusion
The data presented here leads us to several considerations. The
radiocarbon dates seem to suggest a continuity in the use of
the shrine and the gradual nature of the transitions from one
phase to another. For the most part the dates are attributable
to the 4
th
millennium cal. BC, during which the two building
phases of the monument can be placed. The analysis of the
fnds, still underway, shows an abundance of material relative
to this period. This perhaps indicates that it corresponds to the
most intense period of frequentation of the area.
The fnds are evidence of the observation of ritual practices
and activities connected to the economy of production and
to the transformation of raw materials (Melis, 2020). The
enormous quantity of animal remains discovered during
the course of the excavations run by Contu, as well as in
successive campaigns, may be the result of consummation
during community gatherings, feasts and ceremonies,
etc.
These activities, together with the singular architecture of
the shrine (evidently the fruit of collective efort) suggest
that it served as a reference point in an intensely occupied
territory, perhaps for the whole island, an identifying symbol
of an afuent and cohesive society. This could be compared to
the model of “pre-state cooperative afuent societies”, which
manage their own “surplus gain” in specifc activities (such
as the construction of a communal monument, collective
feasting and the development of artisanal production)
preventing its transformation into “surplus proft” (Risch,
2018).
An outdated hypothesis, still dear to some scholars, that the
ramped building had oriental origins, inspired by the
ziqqurat
model, has no scientifc confrmation. With the exception
of the ramp, the edifce possesses diferent architectural
characteristics, something also true of the building methods.
The chronology of Monte d’Accoddi appears, if anything,
compatible with that of the terrace buildings considered
prototypes of the
ziqqurat
(Butterlin, 2013). However, there
is no proven evidence of relationships between Sardinia and
the Near East in the 4
th
millennium cal. BC, such as genetic
data, exogenous fnds or raw materials. On the contrary,
relationships in the sphere of the western Mediterranean are
well documented by the circulation of obsidian and by the
difusion of megalithic monuments. When the frst megalithic
monuments appeared in Sardinia, in western Europe large
funerary monuments with mounds were being built, some
of which were stepped structures (Giot, 1987). These were
sometimes (Laporte
et al.
, 2002) assembled using a system
similar to that of the
“cassoni”
at Monte d’Accoddi: a series
of large rectangular dry-stone boxes, which were then flled
and covered by the mound of the second monument. Also
in this case, they represented a diferent type of monument,
that, furthermore, was part of a cultural phenomenon with
which Sardinia came into contact in its most southern and
Mediterranean facets.
Thanks to the new radiocarbon dates presented here, the
frequentation of the 5
th
and the 3
rd
millennia cal. BC are
identifed, for the frst time, in terms of absolute chronology.
During the 3
rd
millennium cal. BC, the shrine was still
occupied by a stable community, as demonstrated by the
huts to the east of the monument, although perhaps by fewer
people compared to the preceding millennium. In this new
cultural scenario, which on a regional scale showed a growth
in social inequality and territorial competitiveness, the
structure built at the base of the ramp seems likely to have
been used to control access to the summit of the monument.
In this cultural panorama the fre that destroyed Hut p-s
may be evidence of the fnal event before the shrine was
abandoned.
image/svg+xml
IANSA 2023 ● XIV/1 ● 31–40
Maria Grazia Melis: The Chronology of Monte d’Accoddi (Sardinia, Italy) – New Radiocarbon Dates
40
Acknowledgements
I wish to thank Pascal Tramoni for his suggestions regarding
Corsican prehistory. I would also like to thank Marco Zedda
with whom I proftably share part of the research on Monte
d’Accoddi. I am furthermore grateful to Gianluca Quarta,
who recalibrated all the dates (Figure 5).
References
BRONK RAMSEY, C., 2009. Bayesian Analysis of Radiocarbon Dates.
Radiocarbon
, 51(1), 337–360.
BRONK RAMSEY, C., 2021. OxCal. Available from: https://c14.arch.
ox.ac.uk/oxcal.html.
BUTTERLIN, P., 2013. Les terrasses monumentales proto-urbaines et les
centres proto-urbains de Suse à Uruk, étude proto-urbaine 1. In : J.L.
Montero-Fenollos, ed.
Du village néolithique à la ville mésopotamienne
.
Bibliotheca Euphratica 1, Ferrol: Sociedad Luso-Gallega de Estudios
Mesopotamicos, pp. 117–132.
CAMPS, G., ed., 1988.
Terrina et le Terrinien. Recherches sur le
chalcolithique de la Corse.
Rome: École Française de Rome.
CONTU, E., 1992. Nuove anticipazioni sui dati stratigrafci di Monte
d’Accoddi. Scavi 1952–1958
.
In: S. Tinè, and A. Traverso, eds.
Monte
d’Accoddi, 10 anni di nuovi scavi
. Genova: Istituto italiano di archeologia
sperimentale, pp.
21–36.
CONTU,
E., 2000.
L’altare preistorico di Monte d’Accoddi
,
Sassari
.
Sardegna archeologica. Guide e itinerari, 29, Sassari: Carlo Delfno.
GIOT, P.R., 1987.
Barnenez, Carn, Guennoc.
Travaux du Laboratoire
anthropologie, préhistoire, protohistoire, quaternaire armoricains.
Rennes: Université de Rennes.
JEHASSE, J., 1980. Corse.
Gallia préhistoire
, 23(2), 549–565.
LAPORTE, L., JOUSSAUM, E.R., SCARRE, C., 2002. Le tumulus C de
Pére á Prissé-la-Charrièrre (Deux Sèvres). État des recherches après
6 années d´intervention.
Gallia Préhistoire
, 44, 167–214.
LORENZI, F., COLONNA, A., DUBAR, M., NICOLLET, C., ZAMAGNI,
B., and CONFORTI, J., 2021. Économies des populations néolithiques
de Corse Apport de l›étude typo-technologique du matériel en pierre
polie et du macro-outillage du site de A Guaita (Morsiglia, Haute-Corse).
Bulletin de la Société Préhistorique Française
, 118(2), 323–362.
MAGDELEINE, J., 1995. Préhistoire du Cap Corse: les abris de
Torre d’Aquila, Pietracorbara (Haute-Corse).
Bulletin de la Société
préhistorique française
, 92(3), 363–377.
MARTINEZ-SEVILLA, F., BAYSAL, E.L., MICHELI, R., IFANTIDIS,
F., and LUGLIÈ, C., 2021. A Very Early “Fashion”: Neolithic Stone
Bracelets from a Mediterranean Perspective.
Open Archaeology
, 7(1),
815–831. DOI: 10.1515/opar-2020-0156
MELIS, M.G., 2011. Monte d’Accoddi and the end of the Neolithic in
Sardinia (Italy),
Documenta Praehistorica,
38, 207–219. DOI: 10.4312/
dp.38
MELIS, M.G., 2013. Problemi di cronologia insulare. La Sardegna tra il
IV e il III millennio BC. In: D. Cocchi Genick, ed.
Cronologia assoluta
e relativa dell’età del Rame in Italia
. Verona: QuiEdit, pp. 197–211.
MELIS,
M.G., 2019. Bell Beaker evidence in the domestic sphere of island
contexts: Sardinia and Sicily. In: A.M. Gibson, ed.
Bell Beaker Settlement
of Europe. The Bell Beaker phenomenon from a domestic perspective
,
The Prehistoric Society Research Paper 9, Oxford & Philadelphia:
Oxbow Books, pp. 109–129.
MELIS, M.G., 2020. Prehistoric metallurgy in the western Mediterranean.
New archaeological and archaeometric data from Sardinia.
Origini
, 43,
77–111.
MELIS, M.G., and ZEDDA, M., 2021. Sperm whales in the Neolithic
Mediterranean: a tooth from the sanctuary of Monte d’Accoddi (Sardinia,
Italy).
Antiquity
, 95, 383. DOI: 10.15184/aqy.2021.115
PASQUET, A., 1979. Contribution à l’atlas préhistorique de la région de
Porto Vecchio.
Archeologia Corsa. Etudes et Mémoires
, 4, 53–81.
PERRA, M., and LAI, L.,
2020. La tomba preistorica di Bingia ʼe Monti di
Gonnostramatza: per una revisione delle fasi archeologiche e della loro
cronologia
. Traces in Time
, 10, 53–75.
PETREQUIN, P., CASSEN, S., ERRERA, M., PAILLER, Y., PRODEO,
F., PETREQUIN, A.M., and SHERIDAN, A., 2019. Disc-rings of Alpine
rock in western Europe. Typology, chronology, distribution and social
signifcance. In: R. Gleser, and D. Hofmann, eds.
Contacts, boundaries
& innovation: Exploring developed Neolithic societies in Central Europe
and beyond.
Leiden: Sidestone Press, pp. 305–334.
REIMER, P.J., AUSTIN, W.E., BARD, E., BAYLISS, A., BLACKWELL,
P.G., RAMSEY, C.B., BUTZIN, M., CHENG, H., LAWRENS
EDWARDS, R., FRIEDRICH, M., GROOTES, P.M., GUILDERSON,
T.P., HAJDAS, I., HEATON, T.J., HOGG, A.G., HUGHEN, K.A,
KROMER, B., MANNING, S.W., MUSCHELER, R., PALMER, J.G.,
PEARSON, C., van der PLICHT, J., REIMER, R.W., RICHARDS,
D.A., SCOTT, E.M., SOUTHON, J.R., TURNEY, C.S.M., WACKER,
L., ADOLPHI, F., BÜNTGEN, U., CAPANO, M., FAHRNI, S.M.,
FOGTMANN-SCHULZ, A., FRIEDRICH, R., KÖHLER, P., KUDSK,
S., MIYAKE, F., OLSEN, J., REINIG, F., SAKAMOTO, M., SOOKDEO,
A., and TALAMO, S., 2020. The IntCal20 Northern Hemisphere
radiocarbon age calibration curve (0-55 cal kBP).
Radiocarbon,
62,
725–757.
RIBERO, M., 2017. Anelloni litici italiani: aggiornamenti e nuove proposte
interpretative a quaranta anni dalle prime ricerche.
Rivista di Scienze
Preistoriche
, 67, 111–144.
RISCH,
R., 2018. Afuent societies of late prehistory. In: H. Meller,
D. Gronenborn, R. Risch, eds.
Surplus without the State – Political forms
in Prehistory
. Halle: Landesamt für Denkmalpfege und Archäologie
Sachsen-Anhalt – Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte, pp. 45–65.
TANDA, G., 1977. Gli anelloni litici italiani.
Preistoria Alpina
, 13, 111–155.
TINÈ, S., and
TRAVERSO,
A., eds., 1992.
Monte d’Accoddi, 10 anni di
nuovi scavi
. Genova: Istituto italiano di archeologia sperimentale.
TRAMONI, P., D’ANNA, A., PASQUET, A., MILANINI, J.L., and
CHESSA, R., 2007. Le site de Tivulaghju (Porto-Vecchio, Corse-du-
Sud) et les cofres mégalithiques du Sud de la Corse, nouvelles données.
Bulletin de la Société Préhistorique Française,
104(2), 245–274.
TRAMONI, P. and D’ANNA, A., 2016. Le Néolithique moyen de la Corse
revisité: nouvelles données, nouvelles perceptions. In: T. Perrin,
P. Chambon, J.-F. Gibaja, G. Goude, eds.
Le Chasséen, des Chasséens...
Retour sur une culture nationale et ses parallèles, Sepulcres de fossa,
Cortaillod, Lagozza.
Toulouse: Archives d’Écologie Préhistorique,
pp. 59–72.
TRAVERSO,
A., 2005–2007. Il santuario prenuragico di Monte d’Accoddi
(Sassari): tipologia e cronologia dei materiali ceramici dai saggi di scavo
sul monumento (1984–2001).
Bullettino di Paletnologia Italiana
,
96: 63–107.