The prehistoric village at Sa Ruda in Cabras, Sardinia, is part of an agro-touristic company. It has been constructed with consultation of a team from the University of Sassari and has a bit of experimental archaeology, ethnology and teaching. The village consists of a few dwellings, a common space, some fenced areas for animals and cultivated fields.
Important to the project are local craftspeople who still know the ancient techniques. They helped making the artefacts and helped transferring the memory of these activities, these gestures for vertical loom weaving, weaving of baskets in plant materials, preparation of mats, making nets of linen et cetera. In a time-our-where high technology has deprived man of direct contact with raw materials, children and adults can rediscover, through the activities of the village the ingenuity and creativity of our ancestors in response for basic needs ranging from subsistence to spirituality. The hands on approach to materials is undoubtedly the most direct and efficient path for learning about prehistoric archaeology. Activities aimed at schools include the entire production cycle, from the purchasing of raw materials to the realisation of artefacts, use, and then the discovery during the simulated archaeological excavation.
A school visit usually starts with an introductory film about prehistory and history of Sardinia. After that, the group visits the village and examples are given of making fire, chipping obsidian, working with bone, weaving and basketry. Usually, then the children do some archery. Several workshops are offered following on this, like “stone & bone”, ceramics, baking bread, be an archaeologist, and “the fresh pasta workshop”.
Thanks to the cooperation with the Cooperative Society Alea, a visit to the village can be complemented with excursion in the area, the protected marine environment of Sinis - Mal di Ventre. This area was densely inhabited in prehistoric times and can now be visited with certified environmental guides.
