The Cave of San Michele is one of the most significant archaeological sites in Sardinia. Shaped over millennia by the erosive action of water on the limestone rocks, the cave has yielded valuable evidence of its use as a place of worship and burial as early as the Neolithic period.
Discovered in 1914, the cave has yielded ceramic finds dating from the Recent Neolithic (4100-3500 B.C.), so important that it gave its name to the so-called Culture of Ozieri, which is spread evenly throughout the island. Among the most emblematic finds is a pyx, an elegant vase with bull and ram horn decorations and a six-pointed star engraved on the base: which has become the very symbol of this culture. Other notable finds include a female idol (lacking the head), flint and obsidian fragments, human bone remains, and various ceramic artifacts such as vases, plates, tripods, and bowls, confirming the use of the cave for funerary purposes.
The materials found are now kept in the archaeological museums of Ozieri, Sassari and Cagliari.
The cave extends over 200 meters, although the part accessible to the public is about 60 meters long. It consists of a main branch and a series of side rooms and secondary tunnels. In the smaller, sometimes low and winding tunnels, stalagmites, small limestone columns and some crystalline formations can be seen. The cave is currently fossiliferous, that is, devoid of water activity.
Located in a fascinating landscape, the San Michele Cave is not only a place of archaeological value, but also an extraordinary window into the prehistory of Sardinia.
