Grotta Corbeddu

Grotta Corbeddu lies in the Lanaittu valley near Oliena. Its three chambers preserve evidence of human activity from the Upper Palaeolithic through later prehistoric periods, alongside remains of extinct Sardinian fauna. The cave also bears the name of the nineteenth-century outlaw Giovanni Corbeddu Salis.

Why it matters

The cave has yielded some of the oldest known human remains from Sardinia. A finger bone is dated by the regional tourism authority to about 20,000 years ago; the municipal account gives an estimate of 22,000 years. A jaw and temporal bone from another individual are dated to about 13,500 years ago. The finds connect the cave with wider questions about the early human settlement of the island.

What to notice

The cave extends about 130 metres through three chambers. Excavations uncovered human remains, stone and bone tools, Neolithic pottery and fossils of animals including the giant deer Megaloceros cazioti and Prolagus sardus. The terminal shaft belongs to a larger karst system linked with Sa Oche ’e Su Bentu and the underground river fed by Su Gologone.

Context and history

The cave takes its name from Giovanni Corbeddu Salis, who sheltered there in the nineteenth century. A drawing of scales attributed to him is recorded by the municipal tourism portal. The site is also associated with Grazia Deledda’s novel L’Edera. Archaeological deposits preserve phases of use from the Upper Palaeolithic through the Mesolithic and Neolithic; the municipal account records use into the Early Bronze Age, about 1800–1600 BC.