The Mystery of the Sacred Wells of Sardinia - Sun Worshipping Relics?

out of place objects found by later civilizations are reused according to their own thinking, not the original purpose

What happens to ancient objects re-discovered by later civilizations?

Nothing is thrown away, if it can be reused. Walk the streets of Rome and you will see the ultimate in “upcycling” with thousands of years of reused stones in many buildings. Shaped stones in walls and other structures are valuable. Someone had to quarry the rock out of the ground, shape them into something useful and haul the finished product to the job site. Working with stone is difficult — it’s heavy and fireproof, unlike paper, wood, fabric and other materials. If you want something to last a long time, build with stone. All of the oldest structures are made of stone and many were built by people who follow the Sun God (Apollo, Helios, Lucifer, Ba’al, are some of his names). They leave clues that they were built for this purpose - if you are initiated in their hidden knowledge.

How the stones are quarried and dressed, then assembled gives a clue to the sensibilities and thought process of a culture — look at the stone structures of Peru, the pyramids and buildings like the Pantheon. Each civilization has their own things, their own ways of thinking and doing things and their own distinct styles. Their structures are a reflection of their culture. These valuable structures are appreciated and treasured by future generations.

The Santa Cristina Pozzo Sacro (sacred well of Saint Christina) is located at Paulilatino, Oristan on the island of Sardinia (Italy). Today it is an archeological park with three main attractions; a Nuraghic (Bronze Age) fort and community ruin, a Christian settlement and the original sacred well. Not only the place, but the building materials were reused.

Since there are no written records, all we can do is make educated guesses, keeping in mind our own ideas are formed by our own understandings, which could be wildly different from the thoughts of the original people who built these things or even those who later appropriated them.

Most people think of wells as being a hole in the ground, dug by hand or drilled to reach the underground water table, then a bucket is lowered (or a pump put in the bottom) to raise water to the surface. There are other types of wells such as the water temples of India, where stairs are used to access the bottom of the well to gather clean water. The “sacred wells” are similar to the concept of the Indian water temple, but on a smaller scale. There is also an added astronomical element and potentially unknown ritual purposes with these structures.

This sacred well is certainly an inverted pyramid, it’s triangular and the entrance is made with straight lines in a classic geometric design. Could it have come from an ancient civilization, the prior civilization who constructed other structures that still survive? Or was it built by the same

Look carefully at the style of stone work in the sacred well. There are several other Nuraghic sacred wells, including the Holy well of Predio Canopoli and the sacred well of Banatou, which show a sophistication of stone work not found in the above ground Nuraghic stone structures.

This futuristic looking “robot” head was found in the bottom of the sacred well at Mont’e Prama and is attributed to the Nuraghic. My belief is there is a missing piece to this puzzle. Source: Wiki LINK Were later civilizations able to recreate these objects and structures or even understand their original purpose? Everything is a matter of level.

The well’s design protects the water source from dirt and animals who might pollute the water, keeping the water supply safe.

The triangle/pyramid is a special shape to an ancient civilization, signifying wisdom, elevation (enlightenment) and power. You see this in Egypt’s pyramids and many other sites, even in Catholic churches. The female anatomical design stone walls were added later, as this structure was likely used for fertility rituals.

Aerial view of the site from the official Pozzo Santa Cristina web site (LINK). The inverted pyramid well is in the center with 24 steps going down to the water. A small hole above the stairs allows light inside for celestial events such as equinox, using sun, moon and stars. The low walls in the form of female anatomy around the well were likely added later by Nuraghic appropriators.

Wells symbolize access to the underworld, which has always been of great interest to the curious. No one wants to “go to Hell” but a lot of people seem to be curious about what it’s like there. As Churchill famously cautioned “if you’re going through Hell, keep going”. LOL.

To me, this structure talks to the seen (above ground) and the unseen (hidden underground). Light shines though the opening above the water pool onto the walls and into the pool. It was probably used for lunar, solar or stellar observation and calendaring. This is the sort of structure is similar to others built by the Sun Worshipers, who used geomancy and architecture to carefully position structures for these and other purposes. Water symbolizes life. Sun worshippers like pyramids and triangles and we see this in many sites.

Cross section of the sacred well at Santa Cristina. (source: Wikipedia - LINK)

Notice the smooth and well cut stones forming the walls of the well and the regular geometry. They precisely fit and are dry stacked with no sign of mortar to hold them together, like the pyramids and Peruvian walls. The stone working technique is nothing like the stone walls around the site on the surface, which are rough and laid out in organic, not geometric shapes.

Therefore, those dry stacked rough stones were likely added by a later group, one that lost the technology to rebuild the original. They not only lost the ability to recreate these stones, they also probably forgot the original meanings and intentions behind these structures.

Walls at Sacsayhuaman, Peru. Each culture creates their own distinctive style of stonework. The geometry of these stones helps these walls survive earthquakes. Each stone was precision fit with the others, so even a sheet of paper can’t pass through any gap. (Source: Wiki PublicDomain). Were these stone walls built by the Inca or are they remnants of a prior civilization?

The pyramids were created by an advanced civilization and could have been used for power generation and distribution. When the Egyptians found them (they’re hard to miss) and appropriated them, they saw the pyramid could preserve flesh, so they used them for burials and decorated them to their taste. They had no idea about energy systems, power, electricity, etc. as they found utility that fit into their worldview.

Entering the well is simple, but everyone who ventures in looks first, thinks about things for a moment and then enters. There is a moment of contemplation. There are no handrails, so you must be very careful not to fall. Take 24 steps down to the pool at the bottom and you have arrived. It’s nice and naturally cool — which must have been comforting during the hot Sardinian summer (where it can reach 45-50C).

Looking up at the hole, notice the smooth walls with well shaped blocks carefully placed together forming the roof. Nuraghic sites and towers imitate this form, but crudely and more organically, with rough stones and no smooth lines (that I saw at any Nuraghic site).

Archeologists think the well was used for lunar declination observation (LINK):

The Nuraghic well of Santa Cristina, Sardinia, has been regarded as a ritual monument built to receive moonlight on its water mirror at the time of the meridian passage of the moon when it reaches its highest point in the sky around the time of a major standstill.

Returning to the surface, you become aware of the power of the sun and the layers of stones, each course stacked above the one below. Like the pyramid on the Great Seal of the United States, but inverted.

So the question of “who were the original builders of the Sacred Well” can be answered simply.

We don’t know for certain.

The people who built the walls on the surface most certainly did not create the original well. The well builders were sophisticated people who understood geometry, design and architecture, as well as astronomy. The later builders understood things differently.

Keep in mind tests of organic materials found in the wells using C-14 have limited use and limited range. It’s difficult to test the age of stone.

Stone outlasts C-14 dating. Estimates are often wrong, some can be wildly wrong.

If only there was a “cornerstone” left by the original builder, that might settle things…or maybe leave even more questions.

We do know this is a remarkable site, worth a visit and thinking about.