When it came to styles and fashion, the Nuraghic men rocked—literally! Various bronze statutes called bronzetti have been discovered allover Sardinia, giving testimony to the fashionable dress of the Nuraghic men. Take a close look at this picture of a bronzetto (left).The clothing of the Nuraghic people has been cleverly analyzed and interpreted by Sardinian designer, who has recorded her findings in a fabulous book entitled il Popolo di Bronzo:
A chieftain is wearing a cap on his head, very similar to the Sardinian beret worn today. The front of this cap is folded with the upper and lower folds fastened with a button. Later, we shall see other statues sporting caps with fringes, rows of creases, or a central band spanning from back to front.
In back, the chieftain’s hair is parted and shaved in the shape of a wide triangle. Other statues evidence different manners of shaving, such as two waist-length braids with a part that has been shaved about an inch (2.5 cm) in width. Stylistic shaving was definitely in among the rocks!
The chieftain is dressed in a double tunic, one longer than the other, with the two fringed ends of a decorative belt hanging out in front. Tunics were often sleeveless. The neck of this tunic is round, but other statues feature very cool asymmetrical v-necks!
Strapped across one shoulder and around the chest is a leather bandolier, which holds a dagger. The staff—an offensive and defensive weapon—has four rows of buds fashionably arranged from top to bottom. The chief’s legs and feet are bare; others wore fancy sandals.Finally, the chieftain dons a rectangular cape, which is stylishly folded down over the arms and sown into sleeves. He ties the mantle in back with a fringed scarf. Hey, matching scarves and belts! The bottom of the mantle has a decorative border.
Other curiosities of the bronzetti include Nuraghic men in short wrap-around skirts with a handbag under the arm and strapped over the shoulder—wearing nothing else but a high, wide band around the head. A v-shaped beard seems to be the Nuraghic suggestion for this look.
Nuraghic men also enjoyed wild hairstyles like a long twisted lock flowing down over one shoulder with a braid that wound around in a circle on top! Other statutes part the hair into two braids, which are wound into circles at each side around the ears.
Now it is your turn to check out the bronzetti below and try to decipher what other styles were rocking in the nuraghi!
For more reading on Nuraghic men and their fashion, please refer to the following articles:
Nuraghic Fashion: Part 1
Nuraghic Fashion: Part 2
Nuraghic Fashion Part 3
Photo top left from the Museo archeologico di Pula.
Photo middle right Copyright Angela Demontis 2005.
Slideshow from the Polo Museale Casa Zapata in Barumini.
