Climbing the Giara: A quantitative reassessment of movement and visibility in the Nuragic landscape of the Gesturi plateau (South-Central Sardinia, Italy)

A quantitative reassessment of the Nuragic landscape on the Gesturi plateau reveals that nuraghi, prominent Bronze Age monuments, were strategically positioned for long-distance visibility and defense rather than immediate territorial control. Using context-oriented GIS models, researchers analyzed viewsheds and least-cost paths to assess movement patterns and visibility correlations. Findings indicate that nuraghi are not situated at the most accessible points of the plateau but offer extensive visual oversight, suggesting their multifaceted role as landmarks and defensive structures. This challenges long-held assumptions about their primary function, pointing instead toward a more complex significance beyond local territorial dominance.

Schirru, D., & Vanzetti, A. (2023). Climbing the Giara: A quantitative reassessment of movement and visibility in the Nuragic landscape of the Gesturi plateau (South-Central Sardinia, Italy). Plos One, 18(8), e0289023. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0289023