Giants of Monte Prama

Giants of Mont'e Prama

Giganti di Mont'e Prama (Italian) Zigantes de Mont'e Prama(Sardinian)
Giant head from Mont'e Prama
Shown within Italy
Location	Cabras, Province of Oristano, Italy
Region	Sinis peninsula, Sardinia
Coordinates	Coordinates: 39°57′57″N 8°26′54″E / 39.965778°N 8.448278°E / 39.965778; 8.448278
Type	Sculptures
Part of	Heroon, Giants' grave, Necropolis (debated)
Area	≈ 75000 m2
Height	2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in)
History
Builder	Nuragic people
Material	[limestone]
Founded	Between the 11th and the 8th century BC (debated)
Abandoned	Late 4th century BC – first decades of the 3rd century BC
Periods	Iron Age I
Cultures	Nuragic civilisation
Associated with	Nuragic aristocrats
Events	Sardo–punic wars (debated)
Site notes
Excavation dates	1974: G. Atzori; 1975: A. Bedini; 1977: G. Lilliu, G. Tore, E. Atzeni; 1977: G. Pau, M. Ferrarese Ceruti - C. Tronchetti
Condition	Sculptures restored at the Centro di restauro e conservazione dei beni culturali of Li Punti (Sassari) — Necropolis not yet fully excavated
Ownership	Public
Public access	Yes
Website	monteprama.it

The Giants of Mont'e Prama are ancient stone sculptures created by the Nuragic civilization of Sardinia, Italy. Fragmented into numerous pieces, they were found by accident in March 1974, in farmland near Mont'e Prama, in the comune of Cabras, province of Oristano, in central-western Sardinia. The statues are carved in local sandstone and their height varies between 2 and 2.5 meters.

After four excavation campaigns carried out between 1975 and 1979, the roughly five thousand pieces recovered – including fifteen heads and twenty two torsos – were stored for thirty years in the repositories of the National Archaeological Museum of Cagliari, while a few of the most important pieces were exhibited in the museum itself. Along with the statues, other sculptures recovered at the site include large models of nuraghe buildings and several baetylus sacred stones of the "oragiana" type, used by Nuragic Sardinians in the making of "giants' graves".

After the funds allocation of 2005 by the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and the Sardinia Region, restoration is being carried out since 2007 until present (As of 2012^[update]) at the Centro di restauro e conservazione dei beni culturali of "Li Punti" (Sassari), coordinated by the Soprintendenza of cultural heritage for Sassari and Nuoro, together with the Soprintendenza of Cagliari and Oristano. At this location, twenty five statues, consisting of warriors, archers, boxers and nuraghe models, have been exhibited to the public at special events since 2009. The exhibition has become permanently accessible to the public since November 2011.