SARDEGXA. 



SAUnF.tiXA. 



4J8 



venity, an ecclesiastical college, several palaces, a public hospital, and 

 about 20,000 inhabitant*. The cathedral is a large structure, with a 

 very elaborate facade. Good water is brought to the houses by water- 

 carriers. Sassari was built in the 7th century of our era, by emigrants 

 from the ancient town of Turns, which had been ruined by the ! 

 Longobards. A fin road leads to Porte Torres, the nearest harbour, 

 where the mail packet puts in from Genoa : ALGHERO : Orutano, a 

 town of about 4500 inhabitants, in a low unhealthy plain, near the 

 month of the Turn, has several churches and convents, clerical 

 seminary, a college, and a spacious cathedral, with a detached octan- 

 gular belfry, which is the most striking object in the town. A spiral 

 staircase of 150 step* lead* to the top, whence there is a splendid view. 

 Orutano U a busy lively place in the winter and spring, but in summer 

 all those who can, leave it for a healthier residence. Several noble families 

 inhabit the town : A'noro, the chief town of the eaitern province, is 

 situated on the uastuu slope of the Barbargia Mountains, near their 

 junction with the Genargentn range, and has about 4 000 inhabitants. It 

 give* title to a bishop. On its territory are excellent pasture* : Sota, 

 a town of about 3JOO inhabitant*, finely situated in a valley, between 

 two flat-topped hills, on the north bank of the river Termo, a short 

 distance from the sea. Boca has nine churches, some convents, a 

 clerical seminary, several paved streets, and a long bridge over the 

 river. The country around is very productive of oil, wine, fruit, 

 flax, cheese, Ac., and the inhabitants are very active ; meet of the 

 travelling pedlars about the island are from Boss. The town is 

 extremely unhealthy in summer : /oiaMU, a pleasant town, in a healthy 

 not, on an elevated and fertile plain, amidst limestone hills, is 

 abundantly supplied with good water, conducted by an aqueduct to 

 a fountain in the centra of the town. The streets are dirty and ill- 

 paved, bat they contain some good houses. The cathedral and 

 bishop's palace are remarkable structures. The town is surrounded 

 by a dilapidated Piaan wall, and the remains of a castle are Been on 

 a hill to the north. IglesUa reckons about 9000 inhabitants : TVmpto, 

 the head town of the mountainous district of Gallnra, in the north- 

 eastern highlands, stand* in a very healthy situation ; it has several 

 largo houses three stories high, built of granite, with wooden balconies, 

 a collegiate church, a nunnery, a college, and about 6000 inhabitants : 

 Quart* [C'AGLIAKij : I'tUafidro, at the foot of the mountains north- 

 west of Cagliari, in a healthy situation, has 5500 inhabitants; Onto, 

 on a mountain 2000 feet above the sea, east of Saaxri, has 400 

 inhabitants: oWto, in the same district between Sassari and Castel 

 Sardo, has 4000 inhabitants : Csufei-.Sonio, a strong place on the coast 

 between Bono and the mouth of the Coguinaa: population, 2000. 

 Amorvo, at the northern foot of the Marghine Mountains, ha* 4000 

 inhabitant*. 



History. The island was inhabited by some ancient race before the 

 Greeks became acquainted with it lolans, the mythic charioteer of 

 Berenice, Is said to have led a Greek colony into Sardinia, and to 

 have founded Olbia on the north-east coast, afterward* a considerable 

 town in the Roman period, and of which vestiges an found near 

 Terranova, Strabo (p. 225) says that the colonists of lolans inhabited 

 the island jointly with the barbarians, who wen Tyrrheni. Prom an 

 inscription found at Stampace, it appear* that Carali*, or Cagliari, 

 asswmed at on* time the name of ' Civitas lolaj.' The island became 

 well known to the Greeks, who called it Sardo. (Herodotus, v. 106.) 



The first Carthaginian expedition to Sardinia, of which the epoch 

 however is not ascertained, was defeated by the native*. About 

 B.C. 490, Hasdrabal and Hainilcar, son* of Mago, led another expe- 

 dition to Sardinia, which gained a footing in the southern part of the 

 island, and built or colonised Caralis and Sulcis. Hasdrubal bow- 

 ever lost his life in fighting against the natives, who appear to have 

 struggled bravely against the invader*. The Carthaginians never 

 rednord the island entirely, a* the native* took 

 tains. The lower country however was 

 ssnon ontil the fint Punic war. 8 ' ' 



bat the site of that ooo* wealthy town i* now a subject of controversy 

 some pissing H am the southern coast, where a district still retains 

 the name; whilst others, with more plausibility, place it in the small 

 island of &BS AnHoeo opposite, where considerable ancient remains 

 are seen. In the neighbouring island of San Metro, an amphora full 

 of Carthaginian bras* coins, waa some yean ago found by a farmer in 



I : ..- .:..' : .' | ' 



During the fint Punic war the Romans attacked and defeated the 

 Carthaginian fleet at Olbia, wh-re Hanno, the commander, fell ; and 

 again they gained another naval victory over the Carthaginians at 

 Caralis, but at the conclusion of the war the island still belonged to 

 Carthage. The Romans however soon after subjugated the principal 

 part of the island, which was incorporated, with Conies, into a 

 Roman province, under a pnetor, about B.C. 228. After th breaking 

 oat of the second Punic war, the Sards rebelled against the Romans, 

 and having received aid from Carthage, fought a general battle near 

 Carali*, in which they were utterly defeated, and Cornus, the strung- 

 bold of the in!irwents, surrendered to the Roman*. (Liv. xxiil, c. 40, 

 kc.) After this Sardinia remained quiet during the rest of the 

 Punfc war. Prom this time the island, though often disturbed by 

 insurrection, remained subject to Rome. During the period of the 

 ampin it was considered by the Romans as one of their granaries, 

 and a penal colony for their criminals. Pliny (ill 7) mentions Caralis, 



u i ne uaruaguuan* never 

 vea took refuge in the tnoun- 

 as permanently in their poe- 

 wa* one of their chief colonies. 



Sulcis, Nora, and other places as towns that had the Roman civitas, 

 and Tunis Libysonis as a colonia. 



Nura, afterwards one of the chief towns of the island, is particularly 

 noticed in the Roman period on account of the inhabitants having 

 accused the praetor Sckurus of malversation, on which occasion 

 Scaurus was defended by Cicero. But the ante-Roman origin of Nura 

 is proved by one of those singular structures called Nuraggi, which 

 is a large cone constructed of coarse blocks without mortar, and 

 flanked by four small ones, upon which rests the foundation of a 

 Roman aqueduct that supplied Nura with water. There are also at 

 Nura other Roman remains, such as a small theatre, baths, &c., all 

 very much defaced. Nura i* said to have been destroyed in the wars 

 of the Vandals. The Nuraggi are attributed by some to Iberian colo- 

 nists and their leader Norax. They are a kind of tower iu the form 

 of a truncated cone, constructed of large blocks of stone, lava, por- 

 phyry, or freestone, without cement, and forming two concentric walls, 

 between which are stairs leading to the summit. The inner part has 

 generally two vaulted rooms, one above the other. The entrance at 

 the base is very low, and leads through both walls to the lower 

 chamber. The stain give access to the upper chamber. The Nuraggi 

 are of two sort* ; the most common, and probably the moat ancient, 

 bear no marks of the chisel, and are constructed of massive blocks, 

 with irregular faces, and smaller stones in the interstices. The exte- 

 rior materials of the others are evidently worked by tools ; and though 

 the atones sre not exactly square, they are placed in horizontal layers, 

 and gradually diminish in sixe towards the summit The Nuraggi 

 stand generally on the summit of hills commanding a view of the 

 plains. Some rest upon a solid and spacious substructure or platform 

 walled round in the same manner, and in which are constructed hidden 

 chambers, which communicate with the central one by a covered 

 gallery. One of the loftiext Nuraggi is between Samagheu and Fordon- 

 gianua, in the district of Buaaohi, east of Oristano : it is nearly 60 feet 

 high, and U called by the natives *8u Nuraggi lungu.' Nuraggi are 

 scattered all over Sardinia, to the number of several hundred, and are 

 seen in every state, some nearly perfect, others a heap of rubbish. 

 They are very numerous in the district of Sulcis, or the south-west 

 part of the island, and alto in the hilly region of Le Marghine, north 

 of OristHDO. There are also fine specimens of them in the Campo 

 d'Oxieri and at Isili and Gennuri in the Campidano. The original 

 purpose of thsse buildings was probably for watch and defence, though 

 m after-age* some of them may have been ued as monuments for the 

 dead, fragments of Roman terra cotta and coins of the Kmpire having 

 been found in them. Neither literal nor symbolical characters are 

 discovered in these singular structure*. 



Oenserio, the Vandal, invaded Sardinia from Africa, and attached 

 it to his kingdom. After the overthrow of the Vandal kingdom by 

 Bellsariui, Sardinia was annexed to the prefecture of Africa, and was 

 governed by an officer styled duke. The Sorsoens bet-an, about 

 A.D. 720, to ravage the coasts of Sardinia ; and as the Byzsntine 

 emperors were unable to protect them, the natives applied for assiit- 



ftrst to the Longol*r>U, and afterwards to Louis le Debonnsire, 

 Charlemagne's son, to whom they tended their allegiance. About the 

 year 1000, Mnsait, a Moorish chieftain, sailed from Africa to Caglisri 

 with a largo force, took it, and conquered the greater part of the 

 island, and assumed the title of king of Sardinia. Musait sent from 

 thence armed vssssls to ravage the coasts of Italy. The Pisans sent 

 an armament which took possession of Cagli.-tri ; but Musait (1015) 

 obliged the Pisan garrison to capitulate, and then sailing for the ooart 

 of Luna in Italy, surprised and sacked that town, tie was however 

 attacked in his retreat, and lost most of hi* men, and even his wife, who 

 waa. taken prisoner and beheaded. Musait escaped to Sardinia. The 

 combined forces of the Pisans and Genoese now attacked the Moors, 

 and drove them away from both Sardinia and Corsica (1016-1017). 

 After this "the Genoese kept for themselves Corsica and Capraja, 

 and the Pisan* had Sardinia." The island being finally cleared of 

 the Moon, the Ptsans divided it into four provinces, called Qiudioa- 

 ture, and appointed Pisan noblemen over each, styled ' Giudiue,' each 

 independent of the others, but all feudatory to Pisa. Cagliari in the 

 south, Torres in the north, Oallnra in the east, nnd Arborea or 

 Orutano in the west, were the names of the four judicatures. Some 

 place* along the northern coast were however assigned to the Genoese, 

 among others Castel Sardo, which was for a long time in the possession 

 of the Doria family, who built a castle near it, still called Castel Dorja. 



The dominion of the i-land remained long after a constant subject 

 of contention between Pisa and Genoa, whilst the lords of the various 

 province* made themselves independent in reality. The emperor 

 Frederick II. took advantage of this to make his natural son Hontzinn 

 king of Sardinia. H> ntzius distinguished himnelf for his bravery and 

 determination both in Sardinia and Sicily, where he fought for many 

 years for bis father against the Pop* and the Guelphe, until he was 

 taken prisoner by the Bolognese in 1249, who kept him iu confine- 

 ment for the rest of bis life, during which he bore tha title of King 

 of Sardinia. His title was howevr r mere name, and the various 

 judges of the island ruled a* independent prinws, whilst Pisa and 

 Genoa continued to fight for their respective claims to the nominal 

 sovereignty. After the defeat off Meloria (1284), by which the Pim 

 naval power was annihilated [LtvoRKO ; PISA], proposals were made by 

 the Genoese to release their numerous prisoners, provided Pisa would 



