"Where the upside-down dead reveal pre-Nuragic understanding of transformation"
Domus de janas
Onieri/Oniferi, Sardinia, Italy
In a red trachyte outcrop near Oniferi, 20 rock-cut chambers hold one of Sardinia's most mysterious collections of prehistoric art. The Domus de Janas of Sas Concas, carved around 2700 BCE, feature unique petroglyphs of 'oranti capovolti'—upside-down human figures that appear to represent death as inversion, the reversal of life. The Hemicycle Tomb contains eleven such figures, inviting contemplation of what pre-Nuragic Sardinians understood about the journey beyond.
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Quick Facts
Location
Onieri/Oniferi, Sardinia, Italy
Tradition
Site Type
Coordinates
40.2842, 9.1653
Last Updated
Jan 31, 2026
Learn More
Carved around 2700 BCE by Abealzu-Filigosa culture. 20 domus de janas with unique 'upside-down worshipper' petroglyphs. Most extensive necropolis in Barbagia. UNESCO World Heritage 2024.
Origin Story
Around 2700 BCE, the Abealzu-Filigosa culture carved 20 burial chambers into a red trachyte outcrop near what is now Oniferi. They created the most extensive necropolis of domus de janas in the Barbagia region, with layouts ranging from simple chambers to the elaborate Hemicycle Tomb. And they carved something found nowhere else: upside-down human figures on the chamber walls, symbols whose meaning has been lost but whose presence makes Sas Concas unique. In 2024, UNESCO recognized this and other domus de janas as World Heritage, acknowledging Sardinia's prehistoric burial traditions as among the most significant in the western Mediterranean.
Spiritual Lineage
Created by Abealzu-Filigosa culture of pre-Nuragic Sardinia. Part of the broader domus de janas tradition, now UNESCO World Heritage. No descendant tradition preserves original practices.
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