Location
Tuvixeddu is a flat, irregular hill encompassed by the following streets:
ｷ Is Maglias
ｷ Montello
ｷ Sant'Avendrace
ｷ Vittorio Veneto
It can be reached by via Falzarego and by Sant'Avendrace's stairway.
The Necropolis
The name Tuvixeddu means: "hills with small holes"; in the Sardinian dialect "tuvu" means empty or cavity. Of particular interest is the Phoenician-Punic Necropolis with its few thousand tombs dating back to the period between the VI and III centuries making it one of the most vast historical and monumental areas in the Mediterranean. These hypogeum burials could be reached via wells of various depths (up to 10-12 m) and, in addition to possessing special, lateral cavities called pedarole to simplify the gravedigger's descent, there were one or many small, rectangular rooms called "sepulchral cella". Access to these rooms was closed by a large, square stone called a "sepulchral slab" and the well was covered by earth in order to protect the deceased and the funeral objects.
Painted Tombs
Near via Falzarego, tombs with unique decorations dating back to the IV century B.C. have been found. These caves are:
"Ureo's Tomb" is decorated with red ochre, small palm-trees, gorgon masks and the cobra. This serpent called Ur鑰, was sacred to the Egyptian religion; its name was also used for the same hypogeum that has the most magnificent Punic funeral painting in the world.
"The Warrior's Tomb" called "the warrior" because it depicts a warrior while throwing a spear.
Other magnificent and peculiar graves to be noted are:
- "the Viper's Cave " dug out at the bottom of the hill and unfortunately obviously damaged throughout the centuries.
- "Tomba di Rubellio" Roman sepulchre that holds a rock inscription; it's situated on the part of Tuvixeddu hill that slopes down towards the Sant'Avendrace church.
The Objects discovered
During the many excavations of the Necropolis, the following was found:
ｷ amphora
ｷ glasses
ｷ goblets
ｷ oil cruets
ｷ perfume bottles
ｷ oil lamps
ｷ razors
ｷ weapons
ｷ coins
ｷ gold and silver pendants
ｷ necklaces
ｷ amulets
ｷ scarabaeus
ｷ statuettes
ｷ painted ostrich eggs
ｷ statuettes of the god Bes
The Romans, "tomb raiders" and the cement industry
Due to a series of coinciding events, the area was damaged beginning in the Roman Age. In fact, the Roman workmen, in the year 140, built a large stretch of aqueduct, still quite visible in the archaeological site, thus intersecting and damaging many Phoenician-Punic burials. The "tomb raiders" of all eras raided hundreds of tombs, stealing their contents. Furthermore, the extracting activities of Santa Gilla's nearby cement industry and via Is Maglias' limestone industry have destroyed a number of Phoenician-Punic tombs and elegant Roman vaults. Italcementi's local building yard has created a deep canyon a few kilometres long that runs from via Falzarego to via Is Maglias. The continuous excavations undertaken by the Santa Gilla cement industry's heavy machinery have created an enormous quarry.
