Bosa is a town and comune in the province of Oristano (until May 2005 it was in the province of Nuoro ), part of the Sardinia region of Italy . Bosa is situated about two-thirds of the way up the west coast of Sardinia, on a small hill, about 3 kilometres (2 miles) inland on the north bank of the Temo River . The town has maintained a population of around 8,000 people for a significant amount of time, but has an urban character that has differentiated it from other locations in Sardinia. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy"). Agriculture and fishing play an important part in the city economy, thanks to the river valley near the coast surrounded by hills and highland plateaus .
7-559: The area was inhabited since prehistorical times, as attested by the presence of several domus de janas and nuraghe . It was probably founded by the Phoenicians , although little is known about the original settlement. Under the Romans it was a municipium . The present town of Bosa was founded in 13th century by the Malaspina family , 2.5 km (1.5 miles) from the site of the ancient town. In
14-434: Is topped with painted or carved U-shaped bull horns , inscribed inside each other in a variable number. The corpses, painted with red ochre like the tomb's walls, were buried together with common life objects, jewels and tools. According to archaeologist Giovanni Lilliu , they were buried under shells of molluscs ; according to other theories, they were left outside the tomb, being put inside only after they had reduced to
21-627: The early Middle Ages , as part of the Giudicato of Logudoro , it was a provincial capital. After the construction of the Malaspina Castle , the population gradually moved from the seaside to the hills. It remained in the hands of the Malaspina until the 14th century, when it was taken over by the Crown of Aragon . Along with the rest of Sardinia, it was later ruled by Spain. For a short period in between, it
28-534: The island, with the exception of Gallura (where the deceased were usually buried in megalithic circles, such as that those of Li Muri ). The shape of the internal chambers can vary from that of a rounded hut with conical or triangular ceiling. The walls are often decorated with reliefs or etchings depicting magical and religious symbols such as spirals , zig-zag motifs and bull 's horns . Carved or painted false doors appear in about 20 tombs mostly located in northwestern Sardinia , an example being some of
35-624: The people of the San Ciriaco through Ozieri cultures and subsequent cultures, resembling houses in their layout. Built mostly between 3400 and 2700 BC, they date to the late Neolithic , Chalcolithic and early Bronze Age , including the Bell Beaker period. A necropolis of them at the site of Anghelu Ruju , near Alghero , consists of 38 tombs. Other large sites are those of Montessu , near Villaperuccio , and of Sant'Andrea Priu at Bonorva . Many other domus de janas can be found throughout
42-558: The tombs of the necropolis of Anghelu Ruju , which are variously datable from the Ozieri to the Bonnanaro cultures (c.3200 – 1600 BCE). The earliest examples predate the appearance of false doors in Ancient Egyptian tombs. These false doors usually appear on the back wall of the main chamber, and are represented by horizontal and vertical frames and a projecting lintel. Sometimes the door
49-635: Was a part of the Giudicato of Arborea . Bosa is known for a classical way of saying: you do like they do in Bosa: if it rains, they let it rains. This Sardinia location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Domus de janas Domus de Janas ( Sardinian for 'House of the Fairies' or, alternatively, 'House of Witches') are a type of pre-Nuragic rock-cut chamber tomb found in Sardinia . They consist of several chambers quarried out by
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