Archaeological Site of Nora, the Oldest City in Sardinia

Nora, within the territory of Pula in Sardinia, not far from Cagliari, is a place of great interest and charm. First of all, its location impresses, on a promontory separated from the inland by an isthmus. The promontory widens into two points, Punta ‘e su Coloru (Snake Point) and Punta di Coltellazzo, opposite the homonymous islet.

Complete Guide to Nora

Classical sources say that Nora is the oldest city in Sardinia and that it was founded by Norace, a hero coming from Tartessos, the region identified with the Mediterranean coast of Spain. This could be a reference to the foundation by the Phoenicians, who sought sheltered coastal locations offering them a safe harbor, exactly like the Nora peninsula. No significant visible traces remain of the Phoenician and Punic city. The tophet, the cemetery reserved for children, is also lost. The tophet of Nora was the first complex of this type to be discovered in Sardinia at the end of the 19th century. However, it was mistaken for a normal incineration necropolis and therefore did not receive adequate attention.

What remains today is Roman Nora, a very important and wealthy city that, due to its location directly on the sea, was gradually abandoned from the beginning of the 5th century AD because of pirate and Vandal raids. The little church dedicated to Sant’Efisio, built in the 11th century, has remained a focal point of cohesion in the area and is still a well-visited place of devotion.

1 The Hill of Tanit

At the entrance to the excavations, on the right, is the Hill of Tanit, so called because of the remains of a building identified as the Temple of Tanit by Patroni, who excavated it at the beginning of the 20th century. The attribution comes from the discovery of a small stone pyramid, now lost, which the excavator identified as part of a statuette of Tanit, the Phoenician-Punic female deity represented by a triangle surmounted by a circle. The hypothesis of a large monumental building in this area is supported by the presence of terracing walls and a staircase. At the base of the hill, a lion-head water spout is clearly visible, probably from this presumed temple.

2 The Forum of Nora

Continuing along the Roman road that passes in front of the Hill of Tanit, you arrive at the Forum. The square’s shape is very regular, almost square. The remains of the portico with the bases of columns are visible on two sides, and on the northern side are the foundations of a building, perhaps a temple. In the center of the square, there was a rectangular base that supported the statue of a prominent figure, perhaps an emperor.

3 The Temple of Nora

On the other side of the road, on the right, there is a temple accessed by a staircase. The column currently visible was part of the pronaos but was arbitrarily re-erected by the excavator. The cella is almost square, and the floor consists of a mosaic, fragmentary, dateable to the 2nd–3rd century AD.

4 The Theater of Nora

The theater is one of the best-preserved buildings in Nora. The semicircular exterior surface is shaped by the presence of eight square niches and three vomitoria, the entrances for the audience. At about half its original height, the wall is decorated with an elegantly molded cornice.

In front, from the street, the remains of the porticus post scaenam, the colonnade leaning against the wall that formed the background of the theater stage, and the orchestra, with a floor mosaic with circles, are visible. The cavea consists of eleven steps on which spectators sat.

It has been estimated that the theater of Nora could hold 680 people; from this data and an assumed ratio between theater audiences and the total city population, some scholars have supposed that Nora’s population numbered between 3,500 and 4,000 inhabitants.

Beneath the stage, four large ceramic jars were found that functioned to amplify the actors’ voices. The trademark on one of these jars and a coin of Emperor Hadrian found in the foundations helped date the theater between 117 and 138 AD.

5 The Residential Quarter of Nora

Past the theater, on the left, there is a block of dwellings. Among the wall remains are large buried jars used for storing foodstuffs and mortars that may suggest artisan workshops or homes with small industrial activity.

6 The Central Baths of Nora

Continuing along the road, a corridor leads to the central baths. The rooms feature some geometric mosaics. On both sides, peristyles are visible, porticoed corridors leading to the baths, also with mosaic floors. Immediately to the northwest are remains of Republican-era rooms predating the baths. One of these has been interpreted as a nymphaeum, a garden with architectural decorations.

7 The Seaside Baths of Nora

The Seaside Baths are the most important thermal building in Nora. It is a complex about 50 x 30 meters, with a porticoed entrance on two sides. The massive collapsed vaults are still visible; some were moved to the nearby clearing (probably in Roman times a palestra). This complex was richly decorated. Numerous fragments of painted plaster with bands, marble slabs, and many glass paste tesserae have been found that probably formed polychrome mosaics on walls or vaults.

The building dates back to the late 2nd century AD. About two centuries later, it was repurposed, probably as a military post to protect the city from pirate and Vandal attacks from the sea. On that occasion, it was stripped of its decorations.

8 The Villas of Nora

After walking along the tree-lined avenue, we encounter two noble houses. The first is the House of the Tetrastyle Atrium, so called because the atrium with its four columns and impluvium is clearly distinguishable. Around it there are a series of rooms, some with particularly refined mosaic floors. They are mainly geometric, but there is also a black-bordered emblem depicting a female figure riding a sea animal. This emblem is one of the rare examples of Sardinian mosaics with non-geometric representation and dates to the first half of the 3rd century AD. In this house, a small staircase that must have led to an upper floor, now completely absent, is also visible. North of the House of the Tetrastyle Atrium lie the remains of another large noble house, in poorer condition, with more frequent late interventions and no mosaics.

9 The Temple of Aesculapius at Nora

The last important building on the archaeological route is a complex of religious character. Located on the top of the promontory, it is arranged on several levels and has a large open space in front. A Constantinian coin found within the pavement base allows dating the complex to the 4th century AD.

But there are traces of earlier periods. A series of terracotta statuettes dating to the 2nd century BC, i.e., the Roman Republican period, were indeed found at the same site. The two largest depict sleeping men, one of whom is girdled by a serpent. It is known that in the sanctuaries of the healing deity Aesculapius, the rite of incubation, or therapeutic sleep in the temple, was practiced, and that the serpent was a sacred animal to the god. While the existence of a temple of Aesculapius at least since the 2nd century BC is now certain, there are no definite traces of an older Punic structure. If it existed, it was probably dedicated to Eshmun, a deity associated with healing.

10 The Church of Sant’Efisio at Nora

Outside the archaeological area, on the beach of Nora, there is the beautiful Romanesque church from the 11th century AD, built on the site of the martyrdom of Sant’Efisio. Sardinia has been particularly devoted to Efisio since 1656, when the municipality of Cagliari invoked the saint’s protection to free the city from a terrible plague. Since then, to fulfill the vow, every May 1 the saint’s statue is carried in procession from the church of the same name in Cagliari to Nora.

The pilgrimage lasts four days, two days going and two coming back, and is particularly well attended and deeply felt by the entire Sardinian population. The church of Nora was partly built with stones recovered from the archaeological area. It is no surprise, then, to see Roman inscriptions or Punic steles on the facade or interior walls.

11 Useful Information About the Archaeological Area of Nora

The archaeological area of Nora is located in the municipality of Pula, just over thirty kilometers from Cagliari. It is easily reachable from the city by car or by regular bus services, and it is also a short distance from the tourist resorts of the southwestern Sardinian coast (Santa Margherita di Pula and Chia). Guided visits are mandatory. The ticket also includes entrance to the Patroni Archaeological Museum of Pula.

For nature lovers, very close to the excavations is the lagoon park “Laguna di Nora”, where guided canoe excursions can be taken and the Cetacean and Sea Turtle Rescue Center can be visited.

12 Nora at the Archaeological Museum of Cagliari

Those wishing to complete their knowledge of Nora can find a selection of very significant artifacts at the Archaeological Museum of Cagliari. The best known is probably the Phoenician stele from the 8th century BC bearing the oldest written testimony of the word Sardinia, in the form shrdn. Among the inscriptions is also the one of the quattuorvir Quinto Minucio Pio, from the forum, which attests to Nora’s legal status as a municipium, i.e., a city under Roman law.

Finally, votive statuettes from the Temple of Aesculapius and some grave goods with valuable objects, including Attic pottery, are displayed.