Archaeological site of the Punic Necropolis and Archaeological Museum – Ex Monte Granatico

The history of the Punic Necropolis began with the ancient people’s settling in the area lapped by the Mannu river, now assumed to have been a waterway connecting all the different communities.

The built-in area was erected where the old centre of the village currently stands. The excavations brought to light the finds that are currently on display, which include the grave goods and the materials found in the area that scholars had identified for the surveys. Based on such extremely important discoveries, the necropolis is believed to have been already in use in the area of the Punic settlement.

About fitty tombs of different types have been unearthed so far, the symbols of a culture that evolved through time in different forms. The plentiful cluster of grave goods associated with the burials is truly fascinating: they are items for a funeral feast, implements to be used in eating and drinking rituals in honour of the dead.

Some of the finds that have come out of the excavations in the necropolis are now in the archaeological collection that is housed in the old Monte Granatico in Villamar. Opened to lend to the poorer farmers the wheat and barley they needed to sow, which they had to return, the Monte Granatico of Villamar is regarded as one of the most capacious and thriving in the Marmilla region.

It is a complex of three buildings that is worth visiting to gain an insight into the way the distribution chain worked back then. In 2000, some restoration works injected new life into the building and converted it into a museum.