Re-Discovery of a Unique Pewter Flask from Sacred Well of Santa Cristina in Paulilatino (Sardinia, Italy)

This study reports the discovery, contextualization, and archaeometric analysis of a unique metal pilgrim flask recovered from the sacred well of Santa Cristina (Paulilatino, Sardinia, Italy), a major sanctuary complex of the Nuragic period. Misidentified for several decades following its 20th-century excavation, the object has now been reinterpreted as a nearly intact, full-scale pilgrim flask manufactured from pewter—a material previously unrecorded in Sardinian protohistoric contexts. Typological comparison with related artefacts from the Levant, Cyprus, and Etruria reveals close formal and morphological affinities with Sardinian ceramic flasks and, in particular, with miniature bronze flasks documented in Nuragic and Villanovan assemblages. The morphological congruence suggests that the Santa Cristina vessel may have functioned as a prototype or symbolic referent for these miniature exemplars. The associated presence of eastern Mediterranean-style figurines and other imported materials further underscores the sanctuary’s involvement in elite ritual practices and participation in long-distance exchange networks. From a technological perspective, selected areas of the vessel were investigated using non-destructive Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) analysis, supported by Monte Carlo simulation of the in situ measurements, and External Reflectance Fourier-Transform Infrared (ER-FTIR) spectroscopy. The combined results indicate a pewter alloy characterized by elevated tin and lead contents, confirming the object’s exceptional technological status within the Sardinian protohistoric metallurgical repertoire.