Entangled Objects and Hybrid Practices

Colonial Contacts and Elite Connections at Monte Prama, Sardinia

Abstract

The Iron Age statues of Monte Prama (west-central Sardinia) have long been famous for their unique nature and reputation as the best known examples of Phoenician colonial influence on indigenous Nuragic traditions. These statues, however, form part of a much more complex site that in turn was integrated within a wider colonial landscape. In this paper we propose a new reading of the Monte Prama evidence both by examining the site itself in minute detail and by exploring its wider social and colonial contexts. This detailed analysis enables us to advance our understanding of the colonial situation in west central Sardinia during the 7th century BC.