Nuraghe Oes

Nuraghe Oes stands on the Cabu Abbas plain in Giave, within Sardinia's Valle dei Nuraghi. The multi-towered basalt complex preserves a central tower and later bastion, with an unusual internal arrangement of timber floors within its tholos chamber.

Why it matters

The nuraghe is one of the distinctive monuments of the dense Bronze Age landscape around Giave and Torralba. Its central tower and later additions reveal successive building phases and a complex approach to interior space.

What to notice

The central tower contains a tholos chamber, with ledges and beam sockets that supported timber floors. A corridor and helical staircase connect the interior levels. The bilobate bastion surrounds the older tower; secondary towers and a wider settlement formed part of the complex. Archaeological remains in the surrounding area include a sacred precinct, a megaron-style temple, a giants' tomb and circular huts.

Context and history

Nuraghe Oes lies on the Campu Giavesu plain beside the Riu Mannu and near Nuraghe Santu Antine at Torralba. Its construction is generally placed between the Middle and Recent Bronze Age, with use continuing into the Iron Age. The site has been studied since the nineteenth century. It was declared of cultural interest in 1961 and is recorded as private property.