The ‘Giant’s Grave’ were used as a public tombs during the Bronze Age

Coddu Vecchiu is a Giant’s grave in Sardinia which was built during the Bronze Age (3300-700 BC). It is believed that it was built by the Nuragic civilization and it was used by the Nuragic people as a public tomb.

According to legend, giants were buried in this tombs due to the massive size of some of the stones used.

But this is just a legend and in the tombs, regular sized people were buried from the Nuragic civilization.

The graves remain mysterious because very little is known about the rituals that occurred there. Many believe that the sites are the location of powerful sources of natural energy and that for that reason, they were chosen as burial locations.

According to another legend, it was believed that the doors in the tombs were used to facilitate passage into the afterlife.

These tombs have been studied in relation to Nuragic’s astronomical orientation. There were an example of how Nuragic people had a great knowledge of the celestial cycles.

On the equinoxes days, in the tombs of “Li Mezzani” in Palau and “Coddu Vecchiu”, the sunrise’s light enters perfectly in the tomb corridor, through the small opening on the stele dominating the semicircular main front called exedra.

There are two types of tombs, the “slab type” and the “block type”. The “slab type” was constructed from massive stone slabs which were placed upright, and buried into the ground.

The slabs are all uniform in height except the center slab which is taller than the other slabs.

The “block type” was constructed of large, rectangular blocks. This block type tombs are found elsewhere from Coddu Vecchiu but they are connected.

The Giant’s Tombs have undergone many repairs over many years, and their final plan may be fairly complex. Unfortunately, Coddu Vecchiu has suffered ill-conducted excavations over a long period.