After lunch in Propriano, we backtracked a bit, heading north and inland to check out the most well-known prehistoric site in Corsica. Filitosa was a small fortified town approximately 8,000 years ago, which was filled with anthropomorphic menhirs (upright megaliths) made from granite which was quarried locally in this valley of the Taravo River. The menhirs have clearly visible faces, with outlines of swords, shields, daggers, etc., on their bodies. They were also aligned in some purposeful order, the meaning of which is no longer known. These vertical stone monuments were knocked down and many were destroyed long ago, probably because they were thought to be pagan symbols, and they were heaped into piles that were buried for centuries, along with the whole village of Filitosa. It wasn’t until the 1940s that, while clearing the area for his new venture, a wannabe horse-breeder named Charles-Antoine Césari accidently came across some menhirs and some remains of ancient buildings buried under the maquis (scrub brush) on his newly-purchased property. A systematic dig was completed by an archeologist named Roger Grosjean in 1954, unearthing some of the oldest megaliths in Europe. The statues have been resurrected and arranged, with their names reflecting the site where they were found. The site continues to be managed by the family of Charles-Antoine Césari.
Filitosa IX and Two of His Buddies
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