Monte D'Accoddi: where in Italy you'll feel like you're in Mesopotamia

If you have toured Sardinia at all, you should have noticed there are many remains from its ancient past; the prolific Nuraghic civilization left towers literally every mile or two. There are, however, even more mysterious places on the island, leaving scientists wondering how to connect facts that don't seem to have anything in common.

Monte D'Accoddi Hill is one of these places – a seemingly random hodgepodge of ancient cultures that should have never met each other. The megalithic altar is made of huge stones arranged in neat layers. It's the perfect place to imagine for a moment that you are an ancient high priest – straighten your back and walk solemnly up the 40 m (130 ft) ramp to the top of the hill, where you can confess your deepest desires to the gods. Although the altar is only 9 m (30 ft) high, the view from the top is spectacular and sweeps over the surrounding fields, which were perhaps once filled with worshipers.


Monte D'Accoddi in Sardinia, Italy | © Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

Around 6,500 years ago the area was dotted with round huts organized in a settlement, most probably belonging to the people of the ancient Ozieri culture. Although at that time there was no altar here, the settlement was centered around a few other important stones. A menhir (a 4,7 m/16 ft tall upright stone to the left of the altar today) was used to utter prayers and perform rituals and sacrifices, together with other peculiar stones. You'll see these strange shapes – including a trapezoid, an egg-shaped stone, a circular stone and several stones that form a table-like structure – around the area.

These stones were originally painted red. The ramp was erected later.


Monte D'Accoddi in Sardinia, Italy | © Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com