Altare prenuragico di Monte d’Accoddi

Built by the Ozieri culture (c. 4000-3650 BCE) and expanded by their successors (c. 3500-3000 BCE). Unique ziggurat-style structure in Europe. Discovered 1954, excavated by multiple archaeological campaigns. Used until c. 2000 BCE.

Between 4000 and 3000 BCE, the peoples of prehistoric Sardinia built something unprecedented in Europe: a stepped pyramid with an access ramp, remarkably similar to Mesopotamian ziggurats of the same period. The Ozieri culture first constructed a raised platform. Around 3500 BCE, their successors—the Sub-Ozieri culture—covered this original entirely with earth and stone, then built a larger structure over it. At the summit stood a 'red temple' plastered with ochre. For nearly two millennia, this was a sacred center where animal sacrifices were offered. Around 2000 BCE, the site was abandoned. It lay forgotten until 1954, when it was discovered in a field owned by the Segni family. Archaeological excavations since then have revealed its extraordinary nature.