The term "mound" should be understood as the monumental construction of a funerary structure which consists of a roughly circular artificial hillock formed by accumulating sedimentary materials (stones, gravel, soil), to which a stone perimeter may also be added. The mound generally filled a tomb structure (chamber tomb, pit grave or graves, lithic cista tomb, dolmens) so that it was both hidden and highlighted at the same time: in fact the mound also had the purpose of giving monumentality and visibility to the tomb itself as is the case of the giants’ tomb of Thomes (Fig. 1).

It is possible that the deposition of the deceased should take place from the top of the chamber, possibly by only removing the part of the mound required in order to move the mobile element of the cover.

Fig. 1 - Hypothetical reconstruction of the monument (photo by Unicity S.p.A.).

The giants’ tomb of Pascaredda, in the territory of Calangianus (fig. 2), with the exception of the twelve granite cover slabs, also had the burial chamber covered by a mound of earth and stones. It is possible that the presence of the mound, which only partially covered these funerary structures, may be linked to a greater practical purpose during the deposition ritual which was probably carried out from the top of the chamber, by pushing back the movable cover.

Fig. 2 - Giants’ tomb of Pascaredda-Calangianus (from http://www.sardegnadigitallibrary.it/mmt/480/97427.jpg).

The two giants’ tombs of Seleni, near Lanusei (fig. 3), built on a large terrace which gave them greater stability, were hidden from the outside world by a partial mound. In particular, the remains of a ring of stones are still evident on the left of tomb II, whose purpose was precisely that of restraining a mound consisting of earth and small pebbles.

Fig. 3 - Lanusei, the giants’ tomb of Gennacili Seleni-I (from http://www.sardegnaturismo.it/sites/default/files/Lanusei,%20Parco%20Archeologico%20del%20bosco%20Selene.jpg?u=%2Fit%2Fpunto-di-interesse%2Flanusei).