Q6.13 What is important to know about region Sardinia: Ancient History
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This article is from the Italy FAQ, by Gianluigi Sartori gg@angel.stanford.edu, Paolo Fiorini fiorini@telerobotics.jpl.nasa.gov with numerous contributions by others.
Q6.13 What is important to know about region Sardinia: Ancient History
Around 1000 B.C. the Phoenicians began to land with their ships on the shores
of Sardinia with increasing frequency. Setting sail from Lebanon, on
their trade routes as far afield as Britain they needed safe anchorages
for the night or to weather a storm.
With the local chieftains' consent the more common ports of call were those
later named as : Caralis, Nora, Bithia, Sulcis, Tharros, Bosa, Torres
and Olbia. They soon became important markets and after a time real towns
inhabited by Phoenicians families who traded on the open sea and with the
Nuragic Sardinians inland.
A bronze statuette of a Nuragic chieftain and some Phoenicians handicraft are
in the Archeological Museum of Cagliari.
In 509 B.C., in view of the Phoenician expansion inland becoming ever more
menacing and penetrating, the native Sardinians attacked the coastal cities
held by the enemy who, in order to defend themselves, called upon Carthage
for help. The Carthaginians, after a number of military campaigns, overcame
the Sardinians and conquered the whole island apart from the most
mountainous region, later referred to as Barbaria or Barbagia.
For 271 years, the splendid Carthaginian or Punic civilization flourished
alongside the fascinating local nuragic culture. A Nuragic massive head of
warrior and a Carthaginian goddess are in the Archeological Museum of
Cagliari.
In 238 B.C the Carthaginians, defeated by the Romans in the first Punic War,
surrendered Sardinia which became a province of Rome.
The Romans enlarged and embellished the coastal cities and with their armies
even penetrated the Barbagia region, thereby bringing down the Nuragic
civilization.
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