The excavation becomes a stage, with the archaeologists acting in a story told live to an audience of enthusiasts, curious people and tourists. This morning in Barumini, with its archaeological area Su Nuraxi, a UNESCO site, the excavation and restoration campaign of Nuraxi 'e Cresia, the nuraghe discovered in 1990 under the floor of Casa Zapata, the historic manor house of the noble Aragonese family . Visitors are spectators of this meticulous work, which literally happens under their feet.
«The museum complex is well suited to this live excavation», explains the mayor of Barumini Michele Zucca, «the nuragic complex is located under the floor of the medieval building and is visible with a walkway that crosses the rooms».
The initiative is the result of collaboration between the Barumini Foundation led by Emanuele Lilliu, the Municipality, the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the metropolitan city of Cagliari and the provinces of Oristano and Southern Sardinia, led by Monica Stochino, the scientific director is Gianfranca Salis. The visit to the Casa Zapata Museum Complex, which displays the finds found in display cases, is thus enriched by the presence of archaeologists at work under the exposed flooring.
The fascinated public witnesses the work of the experts of the Superintendence «intent on removing with scientific method and care, one at a time, the thin layers of earth to favor a dating of the finds found and their context», says Gianfranca Salis, «O still preserve the position of manufactured objects or organic remains, as they were left at the time of their use, to reconstruct the habits of the ancient inhabitants of those places. Therefore, to leaf through those pages of history that the earth tells us, thanks also to new technologies."
For Lilliu it is a double opportunity: «The excavations open up new possible discoveries and highlight the relationships with the nearby monument of Su Nuraxi», he clarifies, «the possibility of seeing them live, perhaps experiencing the emotion of a discovery of important finds,
