The Stone Warriors of Sardinia 500yrs older than the Chinese Terracotta
An elite force of prehistoric
warriors carved from solid rock in the western Mediterranean 2700 years ago
is rising from oblivion.
Archaeologists and conservation experts on the Italian island of Sardinia have succeeded in re-assembling literally thousands of fragments of smashed sculpture to recreate a small yet unique army of life-size stone warriors which were originally destroyed by enemy action in the middle of the first millennium BC.
Its the only group of sculpted life-sized warriors ever found in Europe. Though consisting of a much smaller number of figures than Chinas famous Terracotta Army, the Sardinia example is 500 years older and is made of stone rather than pottery.
After an eight year conservation and reconstruction program, 25 of the original 33 sculpted stone warriors archers, shield-holding boxers and probable swordsmen have now been substantially re-assembled.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/prehistoric-cybermen-sardinias-lost-warriors-rise-from-the-dust-6988952.html
The statues are from 1000 BC and not 700, this is the correct datation. In Sardinia in this time develope the nuragical civilisation, there are circa 15.000 stone towers in all Sardinia, many Nuraghes are like middle age castles, from the second millennium BC. This stautes are from the nuragical age and repeat little bronze statues named "bronzetti". Sardinia is more different as italy, the history of Sardinia is not the history of italy. Just from 150 years the island is under italian administration, but the sardinian culture and tradition are not italian. This statues and the Sardinian cities like Kalare, Nora, Tharros are founded and builded 500 years before Rome from Shardanas....
more on Sardinia history;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sardinia