I Stantari

Dated to the Bronze Age between 1500 and 1000 BC. The two orders of stones, dated BC, consist of more than 20 standing menhirs or statue menhirs. Its front faces east. Long hidden under an ancient wall, the stones were excavated by Roger Grosjean in 1964. The two statues in the northern part of the stone row, named by Grosjean as "Cauria II" ( high) and "Cauria IV" ( high) from the nearby village of Cauria, are among the largest in Corsica. They are the only menhir statues with indicated arms and hands. A "dagger sword" is recognized as an attribute, which is carried in a hook on the chest with a shoulder strap. A kind of loincloth is attached to the sword, forming a curved line pattern on the back of the menhir. The vertical incisions on the back are interpreted as the back or straps of the sword hook. Of interest are the two indentations (7 cm in diameter and 3 cm deep) on the sides of the head above the forehead. According to Grosjean, they were used to attach horns, so it's a bucranion. Traces of red paint on Cauria II and IV indicate, among other things, that these and other menhir statues were painted with red ochre. The two statues have been compared with representations of the Sea Peoples of Egypt in terms of clothing and armament and taken as an indication that the Shardana came from Sardinia, as the "Torre people" culture depicted on Cauria II and IV shows parallels with that of Sardinia at the same time.

Source: Wikivoyage, „Sartène“ · authors per page history · CC BY-SA 4.0 · as of 1/26/2023