Archaeologists digging on a windswept plateau in Sardinia have uncovered something that sounds suspiciously adorable: three hidden “fairy houses” carved into solid rock. Despite the whimsical name, these underground chambers were tombs, built more than 5,000 years ago by people who clearly took death (and ritual) very seriously.
The discovery brings the total number of known tombs at the Sant’Andrea Priu site to 20. Shared in a post by the Soprintendenza Sassari e Nuoro on Facebook, the find adds to Sardinia’s collection of domus de janas—rock-cut burial chambers known locally as “houses of the fairies.” These tombs were originally carved during the late Neolithic and Copper Age.
The new chambers suggest people didn’t just walk away from this place after carving it out. One was filled with Roman-era pottery, including oil lamps, plates, and jugs, all remarkably well-preserved. Archaeologists believe someone may have returned long after the original burials, possibly to honor the dead or continue rituals they still saw as important.
Archaeologists Discover 5,000-Year-Old ‘Fairy Houses’ on Remote Island
Each tomb tells a slightly different story. The first held obsidian fragments, pickaxes, and a greenstone axe. The second, smaller and more secluded, stored miniature ceramics tucked into hidden corners. The most complex and interesting chamber, already nicknamed “The Tomb of the Roman Vases,” had seven chambers, painted walls, and a layout that felt surprisingly lived-in for a burial site.
What makes this even stranger is how much these tombs resemble actual homes. Some of the tombs are shaped with hearths, entryways, and interior details that feel distinctly domestic. Researchers think this may have been a way to honor the dead with the comforts of the living world. Even in death, they still had a home.
Italy’s Ministry of Culture says this excavation is part of a wider effort to dig into Sardinia’s prehistoric record—one that includes everything from stone towers to ancient villages to sprawling necropolises. The island’s landscape, already rich with mystery, just earned UNESCO World Heritage status.
The newly uncovered tombs will open to visitors once restoration is complete. But even before that, they’re already rewriting the map. These so-called fairy houses sat in silence for 5,000 years, buried under centuries of dirt and assumption, holding onto a history that no one was quite done with.
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