- Filitosa
Filitosa is a
megalithic site in southernCorsica ,France . The period of occupation spans from the end of theNeolithic era and the beginning of theBronze Age , until around the Roman times in Corsica.Location
The site is located on road D57, in the commune of
Sollacaro , north ofPropriano , in theCorse-du-Sud "département". It is located on a hill, overlooking theTaravo valley.ite history and features
The site was discovered in
1946 by the owner of the land, Charles-Antoine Cesari. Systematic excavations started in1954 . Finds of arrow heads and pottery date earliest inhabitation to3300 BC . Around1500 BC , 2-3 metremenhir s were erected. They have been carved with representations of human faces, armour and weapons. It is thought the menhirs may have been erected to ward off an invasion of a group of people called the "Torréens " (Torreans ). However this was unsuccessful: the menhirs were cast down, broken up and reused in some cases as building material by the "Torréens". The "Torréens" built circular stone structures on the site, known as "torri " (or "torre "), which may have been used as temples. The "torri" are remarkably well preserved.In total, about twenty menhirs of various times were counted in Filitosa. They constitute approximately half of the total staff of these monuments in Corsica.
Layout
The site of Filitosa is approached down a track through an ancient
olive grove. The first monument to be seen is a rock overhang and surrounding wall. Then the visitor comes upon the central monument. Various hut platforms are all around, and the track leads a further 50m to the Western Monument or "torri". From there, one can enjoy a view down the hill to a stone alignment of five megaliths, set around the base of a 2000 year old olive tree. Behind the olive tree is thequarry , where the megaliths were extracted from.External links
* [http://www.lacorsemysterieuse.com/Fillitos.htm Timeline of Filitosa] (in French)
* [http://www.acorsica.com/rpatrimo/sites/filitos0.htm Another website, with maps] (in French)
* [http://corsicami.free.fr/corsa_filitosa2.htm Pictures]
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