Sardinian prehistoric burials in a Mediterranean perspective. Symbolic and socio-economic aspects

This text presents a general overview of funerary customs in prehistoric Sardinia and relationship with the area of the western Mediterranean. The intention is to isolate macro phenomena, and to examine their origins and evolution, as well as their internal and external island relationships. The chosen period begins around the mid V millennium cal. BC, when in Sardinia the first hypogeum burials appear and includes all the phases of the Neolithic and Eneolithic, up until the last centuries of the III millennium cal. BC. Starting from the second half of the V millennium the first megaliths appear, demonstrating the close links with Corsica. The Final Neolithic represents a period of great dynamism, in which rock-cut tombs spread in an extraordinary way with respect to the other regions around the Mediterranean, with the exception of Malta. With the Copper Age it is easier to discern through funerary rituals the impression of a society in evolution; here the competition among the human groups for the control of natural resources leads to the construction of monumental tombs and single or small groups of burials, reserved for members of the hierarchy.