Religious geometry in prehistory
For their choice of "sacred places" prehistoric man looked up to mountaintops, besides caves and other 'monuments'.
In this study of geometric relationships in the region east of the town of Nuoro (Sardinia). these mountaintops are easily accessible. as is also the case for two other adjoining "sacred mountains" Monte Tuttavista/Galtellì and Monte Bardìa/ Dorgali.
A hypothetical scenario for the establishment of these geometric relationships could start with the precise straight line between Monte Tului (917m)/Dorgali, Monte S.Elena (514m)/Dorgali and Monte Ortobene (Cuccuru Nigheddu) (955m)/Nuoro.
The cave 'Orgoi'/Oliena is exactly equidistant (9.98 km, always measured horizontally) from Monte S.Elena and from Monte Ortobene with its mountaintop Cuccuru Nigheddu, a little hill which is likely to be artificial !
The position of Cuccuru Nigheddu seems therefore determined by the straight line Monte Tului - Monte S.Elena and the equidistance of Monte S.Elena and Cuccuru Nigheddu with the cave 'Orgoi'.
Interestingly, the cave 'Pruereri'/Dorgali (with prehistoric things found) is also equidistant (5.59 km) from Monte S.Elena and from Monte Tului. Fortuity or could this cave be artificial ?
It was then found that Punta su Nuraghe (877m)/Dorgali is practically equidistant (19.34 km), together with Monte Tului, from Monte Ortobene Cuccuru Nigheddu. Punta su Nuraghe is however not a mountaintop but a fairly marked peak in a long mountain catena.
Punta su Nuraghe is, contrary to its name, not a nuraghe but a large rock orned about 20m to the east with an imposing stone wall (italian: muraglia) which could be neolithic, and a possibly artificial arch is on its path leading to it.
Monte Tului is then equidistant (6.34 km) from Punta su Nuraghe and from the 'Tomba di Gigante' (TdG) 'Seddas de Sarviti'/Dorgali (544.550/4454.790). This (bronze age) ossuary is equidistant (3.81 km) from Punta su Nuraghe and from another cave 'Elighes Artas' (high evergreen oaks)/Oliena (540.725/ 4455.040).
Again, the position of TdG 'Seddas de Sarviti' is therefore geometrically defined by Monte Tului, Punta su Nuraghe and the cave 'Elighes Artas'.
This cave is then equidistant (7.16 km) from Punta su Nuraghe and from the nuraghe 'Chessa Ruju'/Oliena and this nuraghe from Punta su Nuraghe and from the nuraghe 'de Sortei'/ Dorgali (13.22 km).
The likely neolithic background of Punta su Nuraghe is underlined by the fact that the chapel 'Madonna del Carmine', situated on top of a steep large hill amidst the village of Dorgali (550.165/4459.915), is precisely equidistant (8.49 km) from Punta su Nuraghe and from the 'shelter under rock' with graffiti 'Frattale'/ Oliena (542.410/4463.410), on top of a hill, most likely neolithic (or older).
Ensueing from this, an interesting straight line goes from the chapel 'Madonna del Carmine' via the former chapel 'Nostra Signora de Mesauccu' and 'Frattale' to the nuraghe 'Iacupiu' high up in the mountain.
Additional geometric relationships with a former chapel (S.Lucia) and nuraghes (which date from the Bronze Age) are given in the graph.
The choice of mountaintops as "sacred places" is of course not unique to this region, but found frequently elsewhere and dates probably back to the neolithic (or sometimes mesolithic) period.
As a side note, the orientation of the still existing dolmen 'Motorra'/Dorgali (548.950/4462.085), which can however not be determined precisely for such a monument, could be directed to Monte Tului.
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