Mont’e Prama is an archeological site in Cabras, in central-western Sardinia.
Fragments of statues were discovered by farmers in 1974, leading to numerous excavations which unearthed tombs, a funerary road and an army of huge statues that vary between 2 and 2.5 metres in height.
The two boxers are bare-chested, holding large shields in their left hands.
The two latest discoveries join an army of boxers, archers and warriors that are commonly referred to as “giants”.
Minister of Culture Dario Francheshini said that the archeological site had made another “exceptional discovery”, slowly shedding light on the ancient Mediterranean culture whose necropolis has been slowly uncovered since the 1970s.
The Culture Ministry’s superintendent for southern Sardinia, Monica Stochino, reported that the “two large, heavy torsos will require time to be freed from the surrounding earth in order to facilitate a safe recovery”, but that the “important” discovery bodes well for more surprises in the coming weeks.
The current excavation, which began on April 4, has so far confirmed that the necropolis stretches to the site’s south.
“It’s evidence that we’re on the right path,” Scientific Director Alessandro Usai said.
The almost two-metre stone statues have different characteristics from those of the boxers uncovered at the site in the middle of the 1970s, like their distinctive curved shields.
