With the Middle Bronze Age, nuragic civilisation began in Sardinia, as evidenced by a series of megalitihic monuments intended for both civil and funerary purposes. The most ancient ceramics show close links with their predecessors but very early on, new elements were added, the clearest example being the olla with brim, decorated simply in the top part with basic designs. These could be engraved, imprinted or in relief, and were often arranged in metopal schemes. Also characteristic of the period are the large pans and spherical ollae with short neck.
Although the production of metal objects does not reach its greatest expression until the late Bronze Age, the use of axes with raised borders is already documented in this earlier period. Recovered in a variety of contexts around the island, they have occasionally been found along with other objects in store-rooms, as a reserve supply of metals for sale and resmelting.

The recent and final Bronze Ages are the most significant for nuragic civilisation. On the one hand, this period is marked by the flowering of a great number of architectural structures (nuraghi, villages, giants' tombs, temples with wells), on the other by the increasing refinement of ceramic production and by the noteable developments in metallurgy.

Ceramic production is characterised by the presence of vases, in various forms, often in grey clay. The most common types are wide-necked ollae, vases with neck and two or four handles (also in miniature), large ovoid vases with reverse handles and pans with combed bases.

In the final phase the first askoid pitchers appear, sometimes decorated with simple motifs.
The rediscovery around nuragic sites of ceramic fragments from Mycenea indicates the presence in Sardinia of Aegean merchants, undoutedly attracted to the island by its considerable mineral resources.The presence in many island areas of tools and weapons in bronze, as well as reserves if copper, stored in ingots and often conserved in clay vessels is, similarly, of great significance.

Among the more salient discoveries are a series of small daggers with triangular blades, often preserving the small nails that would have been used to fix the bone or wood handles, sometimes adorned with ornate geometric decorations.As well as these, there are daggers with cast metal handles, sundry pins used originally as weapons or ridge needles and other commonly used objects, such as hatchets with raised borders.

The most characteristic feature of the rich collection, however, is the bronzes. Among those offering, praying, shooting, wielding rapier and shield, the figurine of two soldiers together stands out. Athough it is impossible to understand all the representations completely, the statues seem to be demons or

exalted warriors, characterised by multiple eyes, arms and shields.
Numerous, too, are the votive swords sometimes surmounted by deer heads.In one example an archer even emerges from the antlers.

Among the finds from Iron Age nuragic civilisation, more especially the small bronze relief models, the most striking are certainly the small votive boats. The examples from Cagliari Museum evidence both the "long" and the "short" curved type. All of them display an ornately decorated bull or deer's head (more rarely goat or mufflon). The rest range from examples of the absolutely simple, but very elegant, to models with a wealth of particulars and figurative additions, in an almost baroque style, which demonstrates either precocious skill on the part of the nuragic craftsmen or, more likely, a more recent origin for the figurines.
In the more elaborate examples, figures of flying creatures and other animals are represented, around the edges, on parapets and on trees.

The small ships, for which were used as lamps especially in the main sanctuaries, denote overwhelming evidence for the existence of a highly developed nuragic navy. At the time, this must have given Sards an extremely prominent trading role.

Nuragic pottery from the Iron Age comprises a wide variety of forms, often enriched with elegant decorative motifs. The most common are spherical or ovoid vases with neck, cups (often carinate), small jars with big handles and double-handled dishes. Also profuse and characteristic are the lipped jugs, pyroform vases with imitation filter (only found, moreover, in southern Sardinia) and the pyriform oil lamps.

Decoration, when present, is always geometric, with imprinted or engraved motifs of concentric circles, small copper objects, zigzags, straight lines and large spots. The numerous representations of nuraghi in stone, clay and bronze are a key to their understanding.

In the second phase of the Iron Age one notes the influence of imported shapes and decorations, especially Phoenician and Greek. Equally, in the clay ceramics new forms appear, such as the jug with lobed rim, the pilgrim flask and painted decorated motifs.