’ m startled to see a small-scale sphinx in an Italian museum, but maybe I shouldn’ t be. After all, the island of Sardinia is one of the oldest inhabited lands in Europe, with permanent settlements that date back to around 6000 B. C. E. This relic, excavated in Bastione di Santa Caterina, is now part of a collection resulting from a 30-year archaeological dig. It’ s not even the most dramatic exhibit at the National Archaeological Museum of Cagliari— that honor is reserved for the stone warriors found at Mont’ e Prama.

Created in the Nuragic era, the 28 stone figures are in varying degrees of completeness and fall into three core categories: warrior, archer and boxer. The warriors carry a sword and shield and wear horned helmets and short tunics. Archers, who also wear horned helmets, hold bows with their forearms protected

by gauntlets. Finally, the boxers are stouter and much larger than the others. Each is bare-chested, with its left arm raised and bent over the head to form a curved shield.

I’ m entranced by the wealth of artifacts in this compact gallery. Historically, traders crossing the Mediterranean would make a stop in Sardinia and leave behind a remnant of their culture and identity. Archaeologists speculate that the first settlers arrived from all directions: southbound groups from the Italian peninsula, eastbound factions from current-day Spain and northbound travelers from North Africa and Greece. Throughout the Iron Age, organized communities became widespread on Sardinia and craftsmen had the time and resources to depict their art and ethnicity in stone, pottery and bronze. The island was colonized by the Roman Empire in 238

Clockwise from above: Nuragic statue of a boxer; Hiking toward Cala Goloritzè beach Previous pages: Cala Domestica beach on the Costa Verde

images: awl images; alamy