Page:History of Art in Sardinia, Judæa, Syria and Asia Minor Vol 1.djvu/40

 A History of Art in Sardinia and ]jbma. cidencc, which, resting on no scientific basis, has but little value, for no importance can be attached to a particular word, even though some parts of it may seem to belong to a known language. The form of a nûragh is that of a truncated cone, built with stone blocks of different size, sometimes very large, narrowing towards the top. It probably ter- minated in a terrace (Fig. 8). 1 Some parts of the edifice are built with cut stones ; but they are unhewn, as a rule, and laid on with- out mortar, the inter- vening cavities being filled up with earth, ap- parently thrown in with the hand (Fig. 9). The only doorway is on the ground floor, but so low that a man must creep in as best he may to reach a corridor seven or eight feet high (Figs. 10 and 1 1), 2 as low as the entrance in some places. This occurs where Fig. 10. — Exterior
 * w of doorway of the Zuri Nûragh.

From Baux. 1 We say " probably," because the summits are all more or less damaged, not one being perfect. But had these monuments terminated in a circular roof or some kind of vault, the spring of the arch would have been visible in the less ruinous, whilst the flight of steps above the chambers would have been without outlet or purpose (La Marmora, Voyage en Sardaigne, p. 39). 2 The doorways of some nuraghs admit of a man passing through with head erect (La Marmora, Voyage en Sardaigne, p. 40).