Grotto of Pirosu

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The Sacred Grotto of Pirosu (also named after the place “Su Benatzu”), south of the city of Santadi in the province of Sulcis Iglesiente in Sardinia, is a Nuragic cave shrine discovered in 1968 and enriches the range of Sardinian cult places of the Nuragic culture with a variant.

In the cave sanctuary, which is about 120.0 m long, there is a natural water basin and a fire altar surrounded by a 50 cm high layer of ash and charcoal. The deposited votive gifts consisted of over 1000 clay vessels, a good 100 metal objects made of bronze, gold and copper, including a votive boat loaded with dogs and birds (perhaps of Etruscan origin), a talisman in the form of a cult axe, a mirror and a tripod (all made of bronze). The latter is said to have stood on the stalagmites used as fire altar. The Trifoot is the local imitation of Cypriot prototypes from the 11th century BC. Also worth mentioning are the fragments of a copper bullion and a dagger.

The grotto in today's Parco del Sulcis is one of the most important places of worship at this time. Already sought after pre-Nuraghic, it acquires overwhelming importance in the Nuraghenkulturepoche, which is proven by the variety and number of materials deposited.

The Nuragians not only built cult sites such as fountain and spring sanctuaries, they also used caves where they felt particularly close to the gods. They also invoked them in the Grotta di Ispinigoli near Dorgali. There, in the 35 m deep connection shaft to the “Grotta Su Anzu” 18 bracelets of bronze and silver and over 1000 glass flow beads were found, which were once thrown down, but remained on a heel halfway up. Today, the shaft is called “Abisso delle vergini” (Virgin Schlund). The grotto with its huge, almost 40 m high dripstone column is a tourist attraction.

See also:
List of prehistoric and early archaeological sites in Sardinia

Literature
E. Atzeni: La Preistoria del Sulcis-Iglesiente. A. A. VV.: Iglesias. Storia e Società. Iglesias, 1987, pp. 7–57.

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Archaeological site in Sardinia
Cave in Italy
Cave in Europe
Geography (Sardinia)
Santadi