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In the beginning of the 2nd century AD, four members of a rich, feudal family died one after the other. They were cremated and buried in the same spot, close to the road that led from Adrianoupolis to Philipoupolis. In this location a great burial tomb was constructed to keep the memory of the dead alive.The area belongs to the municipality of Orestiada today and is situated close to the villages Mikri Doxipara and Chelidona.
The excavation revealed four big ditches that contained the cremation residue of three men and one woman together with numerous offerings such as clay, glass and bronze pots, bronze lamp stands and lamps, weapons, jewelry, wooden boxes etc. The five carriages in which the dead were transported were buried in the same space together with the horses. Next to them, another five horses were buried. The metal functional and decorative parts of the carriages remain intact, whereas the wooden parts can still be seen in two of them.
References:Monte d"Accoddi is a Neolithic archaeological site in northern Sardinia, located in the territory of Sassari. The site consists of a massive raised stone platform thought to have been an altar. It was constructed by the Ozieri culture or earlier, with the oldest parts dated to around 4,000–3,650 BC.
The site was discovered in 1954 in a field owned by the Segni family. No chambers or entrances to the mound have been found, leading to the presumption it was an altar, a temple or a step pyramid. It may have also served an observational function, as its square plan is coordinated with the cardinal points of the compass.
The initial Ozieri structure was abandoned or destroyed around 3000 BC, with traces of fire found in the archeological evidence. Around 2800 BC the remains of the original structure were completely covered with a layered mixture of earth and stone, and large blocks of limestone were then applied to establish a second platform, truncated by a step pyramid (36 m × 29 m, about 10 m in height), accessible by means of a second ramp, 42 m long, built over the older one. This second temple resembles contemporary Mesopotamian ziggurats, and is attributed to the Abealzu-Filigosa culture.
Archeological excavations from the chalcolithic Abealzu-Filigosa layers indicate the Monte d"Accoddi was used for animal sacrifice, with the remains of sheep, cattle, and swine recovered in near equal proportions. It is among the earliest known sacrificial sites in Western Europe.
The site appears to have been abandoned again around 1800 BC, at the onset of the Nuragic age.
The monument was partially reconstructed during the 1980s. It is open to the public and accessible by the old route of SS131 highway, near the hamlet of Ottava. It is 14,9 km from Sassari and 45 km from Alghero. There is no public transportation to the site. The opening times vary throughout the year.
