The S'Ena e Tomes found in Dorgali is one of the largest and best preserved Giants' Tombs.

The Giants' Tombs are an archaeological phenomenon present on the island of Sardinia in Italy. Over 320 of these tombs have been discovered and many are undergoing preservation. The tombs were built by the Nuraghic people who lived in Sardinia in 1500 B.C.. Each clan built their own Giant's tomb and archaeologists believe that all clan members, not just people of importance, were all buried inside since the Nuraghic people believed that death did not discriminate.

These Bronze Age tombs were built in a great scale using several uncut slabs. These slabs were buried on end in a semi-circle and the largest stele has the entranceway cut though it. The stele on many of these Giants' Tombs can measure up to more than 130 feet in height. The structure is marked by an obelisk that symbolizes gods watching over the dead. The tombs have very large gallery graves, the actual burial chambers which can be about 50 long and up to six feet high, and are covered by a large cairn of stones.

Archaeologists have also determined that the Nuraghic people built these tombs with astronomy in mind. The majority of the tombs' openings face east so that the sun's rising light enters the tombs. Others face south east to catch the sun's rays on the equinox. Three of the tombs are oriented toward the brightest star Aldebaran in the constellation of Taurus.

Read more:

Sardinia Archaeological Community Page (Translated Italian)