Ripostiglio di bronzi della prima età del ferro a Sant’imbenia - Alghero (Sassari)

"During the 2010 excavation at the nuragic settlement of Sant’imbenia (Alghero) an important hoard was found, containing 42 bronze and copper elements. the archeological complex of Sant’imbenia is located in the territory of Alghero, in the inner part of the Porto Conte bay, very close to the sea shore. the position was chosen in order to control the natural harbour, that, together with the natural resources in the surrounding area (copper, iron, silver deposits, pastures, cultivable land), made the village a strategically and favourably placed centre, in contact with different zones of the Mediterranean sea (the Aegean, the iberian Peninsula, levantine centres, Phoenician colonies, tyrrhenian area).the material evidence is proof that, at least from the 9th century B.C., there were relationships with foreign people, including the Phoenicians, who met, traded, and lived together in the nuragic village. the excavations of the last three years have uncovered new parts of the village, revealing house structures, and a big public space, paved with stone slabs, which forms a sort of square onto which the entrances of many buildings open. the hoard was found hidden in the floor of a circular building, that overlooks the paved square. it was contained in a vase, closed by a circular shale stone slab, buried in a pit close to the walls of the structure. the vase is a medium sized ovoid dolium, with a flared rim, convex bottom and three decorative “X” handles. there are not many comparisons in the nuragic pottery repertoire, but the type of handle is well known amongst nuragic iron Age pottery products. the vase contained a complex of metal objects weighing 41.239 Kg: a Monte Sa idda type bronze sword, 8 flanged bronze axes, 14 circular copper ingots and 19 copper ingots fragments. the sword, that has its main comparison in Southern Spain, is fragmentary with most of the blade missing. Flanged axes are represented in different shapes and sizes, all recognizable among the main varieties of this kind of carpentry tool known in Sardinia during the Final Bronze Age and the early iron Age. the ingots are all almost circular, divided into different types: plano-convex, biconvex and flat. Most of them are fragmented. they are commonly found throughout the whole Bronze Age and the early iron Age. the bronzes seem to have been placed inside the vase in a particular way (ingots on the bottom and axes on the top), probably in order to prevent damage, especially to those items such as the axes and the sword, which would have been most vulnerable. From a study of the vase and its contents we can assume that the hoard was buried around the middle of the 8th century B.C."