A.

La Fragola

THE ANCIENT ROMAN NECROPOLIS OF MONTE CARRU

ALGHERO (SS)
Archaeological excavations in 2007 and 2008: the human remains

1. Territorial geography
The Monte Carru hill raising 92 m (300.81 ft) a.s.l. within the district of Alghero at a distance of
just a few kilometres from the current town centre on direction NE, lately turned out to be
involved into various and outstanding inspections among urgent archaeological excavations.
In the area of La Purissima, set on the south-western foot of the Monte Carru, there are
remarkable evidences from the Nuragical Era and of its further reuse by the ancient Romans in all
likelihood connected to the statio of Carbia which used to be Algheros previous urban settlement.
The necropolis at its total extent is, to all intents and purposes, to be considered the burial site of
that village.

2. Strategy for intervention

The start-up in the month of May 2007 of archaeological activities within the section R2 a 1.3
hectars of extension plot now involved in a parcelling plan has proved through the
archaeological support coordinated by the Dr. A.La Fragola on behalf of the Soprintendenza
Archeologica per le Province di Sassari e Nuoro the local Department of the Ministry of
Cultural Heritage and Activities and under the guidance of the Dr. D.Rovina, the existence of a
vast necropolis.
In 2008, a second limited intervention has brought to light around a further 50 burials coordinated
by the Dr. M.L.Atzeni.

3. The necropolis
The highlighted necropolis confirms dating information from among the I and III centuries AD
through burying methods and grave goods. Although sepulchres do not point towards a sole
orientation axis, they still are mostly oriented across the east-west pole line. Also, they were
mainly nestled into any available ground section and adjusted at times according to a scheme
which means to be far from a random combination. A portion of the necropolis around the olive
groves southwards has so far kept intact.

3.1 Burying methods

About burial techniques referred to the above mentioned necropolis, we noticed the graves were
used for rituals including either cremation or inhumation.

See also: http://independent.academia.edu/AlessandraLaFragola.

A. La Fragola-The ancient roman necropolis of Monte Carru, Alghero (SS)

Scattered evidences of cremations are especially traceable in the grey trachytic outcrop, mostly set
in some potsherd or into clefts outright. Sometimes, further downstream, cremation ashes are also
enclosed in some little fissures of the more ductile red trachytic rock, then covered by brick
shards.
Inhumations are more or less to be either a simple setting down on a rocky surface or into
cappuccina graves, brick-coffer sepultures or amphorae.

3.2 Cremation methods

More or less 230 cremations are selected as follows and with recorded rituals either as the at
bustum one or as the secondary from ustrinum one:
small clay-coffer
small cappuccina
amphora
potsherd cinerarium
pit
glass cinerarium
on rocky surface outright without any additional urn

3.3 Inhumation methods

Around 120 inhumations are selected as follows:
cappuccina
clay-coffer
setting down on rocky surface
setting down into a soil-pit as well as partially excavated into a rocky outcrop
amphora

A. La Fragola-The ancient roman necropolis of Monte Carru, Alghero (SS)

A lithic-coffer cremation on grey trachytic-outcrop

(photo property: Soprintendenza Archeologica per le Province di SS e NU)

Sometimes, inhumations are recovered along with their whole grave-goods set, too, mainly
arranged at the deceaseds feet.

The setting down into rocks on red trachytic-outcrop

(photo property: Soprintendenza Archeologica per le Province di SS e NU)

A. La Fragola-The ancient roman necropolis of Monte Carru, Alghero (SS)

3.5 Human osteological evidences

As far as the osteological remains are concerned, skeleton-forms1 have been filled out to proceed
for a full evaluation of each single inhumation or relic. Cremations have besides been estimated
within the same stratigraphic unit where they were found and detailed when the bones were still
considered substantially relevant (e.g. teeth and their size). Furthermore, the nature of combustion
according to residual osseous coloration has been reported, too.

The skeleton-form cut into four different sections.

A.Canci, S.Minozzi, Archeologia dei resti umani. Dallo scavo al laboratorio, Carocci, Roma 2005.

A. La Fragola-The ancient roman necropolis of Monte Carru, Alghero (SS)

On the time of disclosure, the conservation status was quite critical among the 90% of the
sepulchres. The bones feature a rather woody or spongy consistency, hence, they easily release
flakes, probably owing to frequent and persistent seepage of meteoric waters.
The inhumated bodies were invariably set down in a supine posture or on their own side. Limbs
were either stretched out or bended, sometimes in unusual poses which are reasonably to be linked
to the way the defuncts were lowered into the graves.

The setting down into a pit on red trachytic-outcrop

(photo property: Soprintendenza Archeologica per le Province di SS e NU)

All bones found, whether linked by ligaments or not, have been recorded and extremely carefully
removed, then, branched into their respective cases on the basis of bones classes (skull, right /
leftward upper-limb, pelvis, etc.) and secured in the Town Hall warehouse.
Due to their specific brittleness, the portions of bones required consolidating measures made
through a special thickener that has been diluted according to directions of the relevant Li Punti
Restoration Department of the Soprintendenza Archeologica of the districts of Sassari and Nuoro.

A. La Fragola-The ancient roman necropolis of Monte Carru, Alghero (SS)

4. Summary
The extended burial area of Monte Carru dates back to the middle of the Roman Imperial age (I
III century AD) and consists of sepulchres used for rituals including either cremation or
inhumation.
The local community who chose this location to perform its rituals is certainly expected to be the
same one that used to attend the sacred area of La Purissima, just a little further on direction SW,
and, to a good approximation, it must have settled in its immediate proximity.
The vastness of the necropolis, the rituals endurance over the centuries along with the quality and
quantity factors of the unveiled grave-goods, clearly implies the presence of a rural community, at
any rate, urbanised ,with common areas of worship and co-use of goods rather not of a sumptuous
sort, but still detecting a decent standard of living including well-defined rites.

Alessandra La Fragola