A Bronze Age Village in Sardinia: A Preliminary Report of the Excavations at Nuraghe Santa Barbara (Bauladu) 1986-1989

Four seasons of excavations in Bauladu, Sardinia, have uncovered the remains of a Bronze Age village settlement adjacent to the partially collapsed complex of stone towers known as Nuraghe Santa Barbara. Although the towers are thought to have been built between the 19th and 16th centuries B.C., finds from the specialized structures of the village come from a secondary phase dating from the 12th-9th centuries B.C. Of particular importance are an abundance of metallurgical remains, including slags, ceramic crucibles, moulds and cores. The lead and copper artifacts found are further evidence of metal-working activity at Nuraghe Santa Barbara.