Jackets of the Castello de Contorba à Olmeto en Corse-du-sud

Timeline

Heritage classified

Origin and history

The Castello de Contorba is an exceptionally well-preserved architectural testimony of a habitat unit dating from the Bronze Age. This protohistoric site, located in Olmeto, Corsica, is distinguished by a large granite block wall delimiting a circular enclosure. In the centre, a small tower divided into two main rooms: an elliptical entrance room with a clay fireplace and pottery, and a room accessible by an "S"-shaped corridor, which itself is shared between a culinary space and an area dedicated to milling and storage. These developments reveal a sophisticated domestic organization for the time.

Within the enclosure, one or two additional housing units were likely located in the south. The discovery of apennic ceramics suggests a late occupation of the site during the recent Bronze. These vestiges illustrate the cultural and commercial exchanges of protohistoric Corsica with neighbouring regions, while emphasizing the adaptation of local communities to their environment, via defensive constructions and optimized living spaces.

Ranked a Historic Monument in 2010, the Castello de Contorba is today a protected site, mixing private and communal property. Its state of conservation offers valuable insight into lifestyles and construction techniques of the Bronze Age in the Mediterranean. The approximate location and absence of contemporary written sources, however, make its archaeological study dependent on excavations and artifacts discovered in situ.

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