Architecture, creusement et évolution des hypogées à la fin du Néolithique: la nécropole de S'Elighe Entosu (Sassari, Sardaigne)

In Sardinia, hypogea were dug with increasing frequency in the 4th millennium BC, especially in the north-western part of the island. The S’Elighe Entosu necropolis is composed of eight hypogea dug between the Final Neolithic and the Bronze Age. Maria Grazia Melis and her team are currently studying this site. Their research addresses various topics, including the positioning of the necropolis on the landscape, the architecture of the tombs and the diverse phases of related human activity. The architectural data was recently updated through a study of the excavation techniques employed to create the monuments. This new information has been fundamental to understanding the articulation of human presence at the site and the history of the various modifications made to the hypogea. The study of the excavation is based on analysis of the tool marks on the monument walls and of the tools found in Tomb IV. Experimentation has played an important role in this work. This research has led to the creation of a database of tool-marks, the study of picks and the experimental reproduction of this type of tool.