Computanional Science and Its Applications - ICCSA

It is a difficult task to develop an organic and analysis of the geographical disposition of nuraghi settlements in Sardinia, due to the high number of sites located the region, which amount to more than 7000 units. A further complication is represented by the fact that many nuraghi have been transformed in their purpose and used for different reasons by several generations of inhabitants. This aspect, among the others, makes more difficult the understanding of the causes which pushed to the edification of these monuments in specific locations. By now, it has been accepted that many different distributive factors were at play, which also responded contextual reasons for the establishment of a settlement.

The complexity of this topic would need the adoption of a holistic approach, which takes into account the overlapping historical, anthropological and territorial specificities which promoted the construction of nuraghi in different areas of the region. However, in this site, it will be adopted a relatively smaller sample, focusing on two thousands nuraghi buildings located in the western area of northern Sardinia. This paper aims at inquiring on the historical-environmental system which promoted their construction, looking more in depth on the matrix of factors which allowed natives’ subsistence, such as water reserves, availability of rock and wood for building activities, climate and access to the sea.