Necropoli di Anghelu Ruju

Useful Information

Location:	SP 42 dei Due Mari, 07041 Alghero SS. At SP42, right north of the crossing with SP5m. North of Alghero, east of the airport. (40.633034, 8.326698)
Open:	APR to MAY daily 10-18. JUN to SEP daily 10-19. OCT daily 10-18. NOV to MAR daily 10-14. Closed on 25-DEC. [2025]
Fee:	Adults EUR 7, Children (6-17) EUR 5, Children (0-5) free, Students (-25) EUR 5. Groups (20+): Adults EUR 5. Audioguide EUR 2. [2025]
Classification:	Cave Tomb Domus de Janas
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:	Antonio Taramelli (1904): Scavi nella necropoli a grotte artificiali di Anghelu Ruju in Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1904, pp. 301–351; Antonio Taramelli (1909): Alghero: nuovi scavi nella necropoli preistorica di Anghelu Ruju in Monumenti Antichi dei Lincei, XIX, 1909, coll. 397–540; Valentina Puddu (2010): Gli ornamenti personali su conchiglia della necropoli di Anghelu Ruju (Alghero, SS): aspetti tipologici e tecnologici, In: ArcheoArte. Rivista elettronica di Archeologia e Arte Registrazione Tribunale di Cagliari n. 7 del 28.4.2010. ISSN 2039-4543. pdf
Address:	Necropoli di Anghelu Ruju, S.I.L.T., cooperativa di Servizi Turistici, SP 42 dei Due Mari, 07041 Alghero SS, Tel: +39-329-4385947. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1903	discovered accidentally during the excavations for the construction of a farmhouse.
1904	excavated by Antonio Taramelli.
1908	excavated by Antonio Taramelli.
1936	excavated by Doro Levi.
1967	excavated by Ercole Contu.

Description

The Necropoli di Anghelu Ruju (Anghelu Ruju Necropolis) or Complesso di Anghelu Ruju is the largest necropolis of pre-Nuragic Sardinia with 37 Domus de Janas and a single grave. The necropolis was discovered in 1903 by a farmer, which protected the site from being reused or destroyed, all the graves were not deprived. And the site is also special, because all the tombs have vertical entrances, unlike all other sites. They were immediately excavated by Antonio Taramelli a famous Italian archaeologist and one of the founders of Sardinian archaeology. He discovered a lot of content including the stone peaks used to dig them, vases, statuettes of the mother goddess, weapons, necklace beads and the skeletons of the buried people. Like all those Domus de Janas tombs they were built during the final Neolithic period, the culture of Ozieri, 3200-2800 BC.