Anghelu Ruju Necropolis

Necropolis of Anghelu Ruju (Alghero): a journey through the mysteries of the pre-Nuragic cult of the dead

An ancient city of the dead in the heart of the Nurra.

A few kilometres from Alghero, immersed in the Nurra countryside (a historical and agricultural region in north-western Sardinia), lies one of Sardinia's most important prehistoric necropolises: Anghelu Ruju, a place where stone speaks of life, death and ancestral spirituality. Discovered in 1903 and dated between the Final Neolithic (Ozieri culture, 3200 BC) and the Early Bronze Age (1600 BC), this necropolis tells a long story of burials, symbols and mysterious rituals.

A unique archaeological heritage in the Mediterranean.

The site comprises 38 domus de janas (fairy houses), dug into the limestone rock and distributed over a hilly area. The tombs have a circular or irregular plan, often divided into several communicating rooms, up to eleven compartments. The decorations carved on the walls recall the veneration of the bull (symbol of fertility and strength) and rituals linked to rebirth.

Particularly striking are the carved false doors (symbols of the passage between the world of the living and the dead), the decorated lintels and traces of red ochre, used in funeral rites that took place outside tombs or near their entrances, as veritable ceremonial banquets in honour of the dead, consumed in a collective and symbolic atmosphere, as a gesture of bonding with the afterlife. Archaeology has yielded concrete traces of these ancient rituals: stone seats, altars carved into the rock, coppelle or cuppelle (small cavities hollowed out in the ground or walls) and ceramic remains used to deposit offerings of food and drink. In some burial cells, there are also hearths reproduced in relief, reinforcing the idea of a continuity between the home of the living and that of the dead.

A fortuitous discovery from the past.

The discovery of the Necropolis of Anghelu Ruju came about quite by chance in 1903, when, during work on the construction of a farmhouse on the land then newly acquired by the Sella & Mosca winery, some workers came across a human skull and a tripod vase. The discovery immediately aroused the interest of the authorities and led, as early as the following year, to the intervention of the archaeologist Antonio Taramelli, who in 1904 launched the first real excavation campaign, revealing a complex of rock-cut tombs belonging to a prehistoric context of extraordinary importance. In the following years, excavations were resumed in 1936 by Doro Levi and then in 1967 by Ercole Contu, confirming the extent and importance of the site.

The site took the name Anghelu Ruju from the previous rural owner of the land, Angelo “Ruju” (Sardinian for “red”), to whom the land on which the discovery was made belonged and who was already known locally in the early 20th century, before the purchase of the area by Sella & Mosca, as ““Sa Tanca de s’Anghelu Ruju”.

Where are the finds of Anghelu Ruju?

The finds discovered in the Anghelu Ruju Necropolis (ceramics, copper daggers, amulets, statuettes, idols, human and animal bones) are not kept in a single place, but are distributed among three major archaeological museums in Sardinia, testifying to the historical and scientific importance of the site. This exhibition network allows visitors to reconstruct the identity and complexity of one of the most significant prehistoric necropolises on the island.

Archaeological Museum of Alghero (MUSA)

Located in the heart of Alghero's historical centre, the MUSA preserves and exhibits the main core of finds from the necropolis. Here you will find:

• grave goods (vases, amulets, brooches, jewellery),

• votive objects,

• lithic and bone materials found in the domus de janas.

🔗 Go to the MUSA website

Cagliari National Archaeological Museum

The island's most important archaeological museum also houses original finds from the necropolis, including:

• Shell and stone necklaces, dating from between 2200 and 1700 BC, finely worked and belonging to grave goods found in some domus de janas.

• A bronze tripod, attributed to the Bonnanaro period, exhibited in temporary exhibitions dedicated to prehistory.

🔗 Go to the Cagliari Archaeological Museum website

Sassari National Museum "Giovanni Antonio Sanna"

Founded at the end of the 19th century, this museum houses exhibits from the historical excavations conducted by Antonio Taramelli in the early 20th century. The materials from Anghelu Ruju present include:

• bell-shaped pottery and askoid vessels,

• ritual objects made of bone and stone,

• armillas, pendants, arrowheads and copper weapons.

They are among the oldest prehistoric materials on display in the Copper and Bronze Age section.

🔗 Go to the Sanna Museum website

This museum distribution makes it possible to follow a cultural itinerary between the cities of Alghero Cagliari, and Sassari, offering a broad look at the spirituality, funerary practices and craftsmanship of Sardinia's prehistoric populations.

Visits, times and tickets.

The Anghelu Ruju necropolis is managed by the Cooperative S.I.L.T., active since 1985 in the tourist and cultural enhancement of the Alghero area. The site can be visited all year round (except Christmas Day) and every day, with seasonal opening hours:

• November-March: 10:00 - 14:00

• April-october: 10:00 – 18:00

• May-September: 10:00 – 19:00

It is possible to purchase combined tickets to visit both the Necropolis of Anghelu Ruju and the nearby Nuragic Complex of Palmavera, which also follows the same timetable as the Necropolis.

Events and experiential valorisation.

During the summer, the necropolis also opens up to unique cultural experiences. These include:

• ‘Night under the stars’: guided night tour with astronomical observation, accompanied by astrophysicist Dr Barbara Leo. An event combining science, archaeology and nocturnal fascination among the millenary tombs.

• Educational workshops and family trails: discovering prehistoric burial rites, also designed for children.

These activities confirm Cooperative S.I.L.T.'s commitment to promoting experiential, emotional and sustainable archaeological tourism.

An itinerary between past and landscape.

Anghelu Ruju and Palmavera form a true pre-nuragic and nuragic archaeological circuit that can be visited in a single day. Two sites united by a single vision: to tell the story of Sardinia through its deepest roots.