A spatial statistical study of the distribution of Sardinian nuraghes

Abstract

The spatial distribution of nuraghes throughout the Island of Sardinia still raises many questions. In this paper, we apply spatial statistical methods to investigate their relations with topographical features and with related objects nearby. We use the non-stationary G- and J-functions. To model interactions with topographic variables we use the non-stationary Poisson model. We find that the elevation of the nuraghes show a uniform distribution between 0 and 400 m, and with a peak in distances to holy wells of approximately 5 km. As expected, we found a clustered pattern, with clustering occurring in the mid-west, the centre and the south west of the Island. We further observed a very strong interaction with domus de janas, and a strong spatial interaction for distances in the range between 0 and 1000 m with the pre-Nuragic dolmens and menhirs, and the collective funerary structures, the so-called Nuragic giants’ tombs. We conclude that the study is useful to quantify spatial patterns of pre-historic sites, in particular if these occur in a great abundancy and provides new insight into the spatial relations of the different pre-historic objects and buildings.