Georesources in Bronze Age, Sardinia

Starting from the early Paleozoic Era, the long geological history of Sardinia has given rise to the forming of several types of rock complexes : sedimentary sequences, magmatic massives, volcanic bodies, and low to high grade metamorphic formations. The orogenic cycles, chiefly the Hercynian, and the related magmatic and metamorphic processes were accompanied by the emplacement of mineralisations of different kinds and sizes.Thus an important mineral wealth was created in Sardinia, and exploited for different uses since the primitive man. Non metallic minerals were first beneficiated. Flintstone and soapstone, obsidian, clays, ochre etc.were for long time mostly "mined". Soon appeared the metals, but the archaeological finds demonstrate that at the beginning they came to Sardinia from abroad, although practically all metals are present in the island. The metallurgic know-how was acquired rather rapidly, probably exhorted by the existence of so many outcrops of ore minerals, scattered everywhere in the Sardinian Paleozoic landscape.