The Nuraghic bronze statuettes

Introduction
We are talking about little bronze sculptures reminding everybody’s mind the Nuraghic Age. These statuettes give us the look of those ancient populations, their features, their temper, their guns, their tools, their habits, their superstitions and their religion.

Dating
From IX to III B.C.

Where they come from
About six hundred originals come from nuraghe, houses, giants’ caves, “well” temples and also some tombs in the Etruscan area. Some archaeological finds have been also found near copper’s deposits, maybe waiting to be fuse again.

Where they are kept
Mostly of them are kept in the Archaeological Museum in Cagliari.

Materials
They are made of bronze, that is 80% of copper and 10% of tin, plus a very short percentage of arsenic, zinc, iron and lead. All these materials are of local origin, having Sardinia a great geological wealth.

Technique
The used technique is the so-called “lost wax”, obtained by making the statuettes with the wax and then covering them with clay. The statuettes were after decorated with other separated elements.

Dimensions
Between 39 cm (the biggest one) and 2,5 cm (the smallest one).