Social Organization, Intersections, and Interactions in Bronze Age Sardinia. Reading Settlement Patterns in the Area of Sarrala with the Contribution of Applied Sciences

Research on Bronze Age sites in the coastal area of Sarrala, Eastern Sardinia, reveals a society characterized by organized pastoralism and structured social hierarchies. The study identifies a pattern of progressive demographic growth, landscape infilling, and population concentration, accompanied by increased fragmentation and competition among settlements. Notably, sites with archaic features exhibit a consistent use of non-local building materials, suggesting long-lasting authority and ancestral lineage ties. These findings, derived from settlement patterns, building analysis, stable isotopes, archaeogenetics, and paleoclimatology, offer insights into the interplay between internal social dynamics and external factors such as climate change and trade connections, providing a nuanced understanding of Nuragic society.

Lai, L., & Crispu, S. (2024). Social Organization, Intersections, and Interactions in Bronze Age Sardinia. Reading Settlement Patterns in the Area of Sarrala with the Contribution of Applied Sciences. Open Archaeology, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1515/opar-2022-0358