Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 13.djvu/534

 SARDINIA

474

SARDINIA

pans of Cagliari arc the most jiroductive in Italy, the output for the year 1905 being 1,403,372 pounds. The birds most "worthy of notice are the pelicans, herons, and flamingos which come over during Au- gust in large flocks from Africa. The seas abound in fish of every kind, sardines, anchovies, and espe- cially tunny-fish, of which more than 661,386 pounds are exported annually. Near the island of S. Pietro, the Gulfs of Palmas, Asinara, Oristano, and Cape Carbonara there are extensive beds of coral, 5512 pounds of which are exported each year.

In historic times the people of Sardinia have under- gone less amalgamation than any other Italian popu- lation. According to the ancient geographers, the primitive population of Sardinia was akin to the Libyans; Iberians, Greeks, Phoenicians, Carthagin- ians, and Italians came later. Certainly the Latin language was adojited in the island, and even to-day the Sardinian resembles Latin more than any other of the Italian dialects. There are three chief Sardin- ian dialects: that of Sassari which approaches Cor- sican and Tuscan, that of Logudoro, and that of Cagliari (Sardinian properly so-called, somewhat like Sicilian). The most striking characteristic of the Sardinip,n language is that, while throughout the peninsula of Italy the article is derived from the Latin pronoun ille {il, In, la, 'o, 'u), in Sardinian it is derived from ipse (su, masculine; sa, .feminine). In the neighbourhood of Alghero, Catalan is spoken. The Sardinian is by nature taciturn and laborious, but clings to his ancient customs; the women provide all the household necessities (flour, bread, linen, cloth etc.); they like bright coloured clothing, es])ecially red, while the men dress in black: the latter wear a peculiar cap, which is like a long stocking covering the head and hanging down the back. They are vivacious and love singing and dancing to the ac- companiment of the lauiiedda, the ancient tibia. In the environs of Gallura the people meet together in the winter evenings and practise improvisation. There is little education among the poorer classes, but the wealthier families fully appreciate the value of higher education, jurisprudence being a favourite study. The percentage of illiterates is comparatively speaking lower (68-3 per cent of those under the age of 21 and 69-6 for those over 21) than in the Abruzzi, Apulia, Sicily, Basilicata, and Calabria. There are in the island 1056 public elementary, and 40 private, schools, 48 evening and vacation schools, 4 normal schools, 9 public academies and one not yet completed, 2 Ij^ceums and one in course of construc- tion, 3 technical schools, 2 technical institutes, 1 school of applied art, 2 schools of music, 2 universities in Cagliari and Sassari.

The bonds of family life are very strong, there being few illegitimate births ; the Sardinian is quick to avenge the honour of his wife or family. The percentage of convictions is higher than that of the kingdom, but serious offences are less frequent (25 per 100,000 inhabitants against 25-3). Hrigandage, which in times gone by afflicted the island, was caused partly by the sparse- ness of the population, which offered malefactors a greater chance of escaping, or by the custom of the vendetta, on account of which one who had been guilty of an act of vendetta or who feared to fall a vicfirri to it ha^l to conceal himself and to become a brigarifl; another cause, in the last century, was the radical changes introduced in the eighteenth and ninet^HTith centuries in regard to economic customs and rights (^the right of cutting timber, of pastur- age etc.). However, for some years there have been no properly authenticatc;d cases of brigandage in Sardinia. The island is divided civilly into two provinces: Cagliari (called under the Spanish regime Capo di HOtt^j) and Sassari (CafjO di sopraj. These two provinces contain 9 departments, 92 boroughs,

and 363 communes. Ecclesiastically it is divided into 3 archdioceses and 8 dioceses: Cagliari, with its suffragan sees Galtelli-Nuoro, Iglesias, Ogli;ustra; Oristano with its suffragans Ales and Terralba; Sassari wdth its suffragans Alghero, Ampurias and Tempio, Bisarchio, Bosa. Formerly there existed the Sees of Doglia, Forum Traianum, Fasiana, Suello (Cagliari), Sulcis (Iglesias), Torres, Sorra, Ploaghe (Sassari), Ottaba, Castro (Alghero), Civita (Ampu- rias), Sta Giusta (Oristano).

History. — The name of the island is derived from Sardon or Sardus, the principal god venerated by the inhabitants, who had a large temple at the Gulf of Oristano. Some writers wish to ifl.^ntify the Sar- dinians with the Shardana who, in the reign of liameses III, invaded Egypt. Concerning their race, ancient writers believe them akin to the Libyans, the Iberians, or the Corsicans. A comparison of the idols of the most ancient inhabitants with the style of dress of the present inhabitants shows that the present Sar- dinian race is practically identical with the primitive race. To the latter must be attributed the peculiar monuments (about 3000 in number), called ntiraghe, scattered through the island, wiiich are like truncated cones, 53 feet high, and 99 wide at the base, con- structed of large masses of limestone, granite, or tufa, superimposed without mortar. The entrance to the nuraghe faces the south and is about five or six feet high, and two feet wide; it leads to a spiral stairway in the wall of the nuraghe, which communicates with the two or three superimposed circular rooms, having a sharp angular roof like that of the treasury of j\I}'- cenaj. Other smaller cones are frequenth' found around the principal nuraghe. There are various opinions as to the object of these buildings: fortified towers, dwellings, sacerdotal sepulchres (in none have arms been found; all contained skeletons and ornaments), pyres etc.

Scattered throughout the length of the entire is- land and not unlike the nuraghe in appearance are a number of groups of circular dwellings of stone meas- uring from fifteen to twenty-five feet in diameter. Their proximity to each other would suggest that they had once formed part of villages. They are not often met with in the north-eastern extremity, but in the middle of the island they are very frequent. Close to each of these buildings was the tombe de gianli or giant's tomb; a vaulted chamber of about thirty or forty feet in length, with sides of rough masonry and a roof formed by a superimposed slab. Smaller tombs (domus de gianas) were also found in a great many places, but were more often met with in the most in- accessible regions, and assumed the shape of grottoes chiselled from the rock rather than that of vaulted chambers. The Phoenician traders naturally visited the island; Caralis (Cagliari) was their great market; Phoenician inscriptions too have been found. The Carthaginians were not content to trade with Sar- dinia, they wished to subdue it (about 500 b. c); bit- ter wars were waged. Nevertheless, various cities were founded. In the First Punic War, L. Cornelius Scipio defeated the Carthaginians (259) near Olbia (Terranova). A little later the mercenaries rebelled against their C;u-1haginian masters and established a military govenimeiil against which the natives re- volted, thus giving the Romans an excuse for inter- vening (238) and taking possession of the island, which along with Corisca was formed into a province under a pra-tor. Native ui)risiiigs wen; re))resse(l with ex- treme severity: Sempronius Gracchus (181) partly killed and partly sold into slavery 80,000 of the; in- habitants; again in 114 Cajcilius Metellus had to crush an insurrection.

The Romans by constructing roads improved the economic conditions of the island, which, although it was considered by the Government for the most part poor and unproductive and a place of punishment