Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/927

 SARDINIA. (iii. 1, &c.), Saitles is named as one of tlie Seven Churches, %Yhence it is clear that at that time its inhabitants had adopted Christianity. From Pliny (v. 30) ve learn that Sardes was the capital of a conventus: during the first centuries of the Christian era we hear of more than one council held there ; and it continued to be a wealthy city down to the end of the Byzantine empire. (Eunap. p. 154; Hie- rocl. p. 669.) The Turks took possession of it in the 11th century, and two centuries later it was almost entirely destroyed by Tamerlane. (Anna Gomn. p. 323 ; 51. Ducas, p. 39.) Sardes is now little more than a village, still bearing the name of Suft, which is situated in the midst of the ruins of the ancient city. These ruins, though extending over a large space, are not of any great consequence ; they consist of the remains of a stadium, a theatre, and the triple walls of the acropolis, with lofty towers. The fertile plain of Sardes bore the name of Sar- dicne or '2,apSiavbv jreStoj', and near the city was the celebrated tomb of Alyattes. Sardes was be- lieved to be the native place of the Spartan poet Alcman, and it is well known that the two rheto- ricians Diodorus and the historian Eunapius were natives of Sardes. (Chandler, Travels in Asia Mitwr, Tp. 3G, foil.: Leake, Asia Minor, p. 342, foil. ; Richter, Wallfalu'ten,]). 511, ioW. ; Prokesch, jDenkwurdi'/k. vol. iii. p. 31, foil.] [L. S.] SARDI'NIA (rj -Zapdui: Eth. SapScooy, Sardus: Sardinia), one of the largest and most important islands in the Mediterranean sea, situated to the S. of Corsica (from which it was separated only by a ijarrow strait, now called the Strait of Bonifazio) and NW. of Sicily. Its most southern extremity. Cape Spartivento, was distant only 120 geog. miles from Cape Serrat in Africa. I. General Desckiptiox. It was a disputed point in ancient times whether Sicily or Sardinia was the largest. Herodotus calls Sardinia " the largest of islands " (vrtaaiv diraafcov IxijiaTTjv, i. 170, vr(TOVTriv /xeyiffT-qv, v. 106), but in passages where it is not certain that the expression is to be construed quite strictly. Scylax, however, distinctly calls Sardinia the largest of all the islands in the Mediterranean, assigning to Sicily only the se- cond rank (Scyl. p. .56. § 113); and Timaeus seems to have adopted the same view {ap. Strah. xiv. p. 654). But the general opinion was the other way : the comic poet Alexius already enumerated the seven great islands, as they were called, placing Sicily first and Sardinia second (Alex. up. Const. Porphyr. de Prov.u. § 10): and this view is followed by Scymnus Chius, as well as by the later geographers. (Scymn. Ch. p. 223; Strab. ii. p. 123;' Plin. iii. 7. K. 13, 8. s. 14; Diod. v. 17). Diodorus, however, justly remarks, that it is very nearly equal to Sicily in magnitude (Diod. v. 16): and this opmion, which was adopted by Cluverius (^Sicil. Ant. p. 478), con- tinued to prevail down to a very recent period. But modern researches have proved that Sardinia is actually the larger of the two, though the difiercnce is but trifling. (Smyth's Sardinia, p. 66.) Its general form is that of an oblong parallelogram, above 140 geog. miles in its greatest length, by about 60 in its average breadth, which, however, attains to as much as 77 in one part. The measure- ments given by Pliny, of 188 miles (148| geog. miles) in length along the E. coast, and 175 on the W., are therefore very fair approximaliuiis (Plin. SARDINIA. 907 iii. 7. s. 13), while those of Strabo, who calls the island 220 miles in length by 98 in breadth, are considerabl/ overstated. (Strab. v. p. 224.) Sardinia is a much more fertile and less moun- tainous island than Corsica. It is, however, traversed throughout its whole length from N. to S. by a chain of mountains which commence at the headland called Capo Lungo Sardo, and extend along the eastei'n side of the island, as far as Capo Carho7iara, which forms the SE. extremity of the island. This range, which is composed of granitic and other primary rocks, is undoubtedly a continuation, in a geological sense, of the mountains of Corsica, and produces a rugged and difficult country forming much the wildest and most uncivilised part of Sar- dinia. The mountain summits, however, are far from attaining the same elevation as those of Corsica, the highest point, called Monte Genaryentu, rising only to 5276 feet, while the Monte di Sta Viltoria, in the same neighbourhood, rises to 4040 feet, and the peak of Limbarra (the most northerly group of the chain) to 3686 feet: but the general elevation of the range rarely exceeds 3000 feet. (Smyth, p. 67.) West of this mountain district, which may be con- sidered on a rough estimate as comprising about one half of the whole island, are situated three de- tached groups of mountains; the most considerable of which is that in the SW., which extends from Capo Spartivento to Capo della Frasca on the Gulf of Oristano, and the highest summits of which attain to an elevation of nearly 4000 feet. In the extreme NW. of the island is another isolated range of less extent, called the Monti della Nurra, ex- tending from the Capo della Caccia to the Capo del Falcone. Both these groups are, like the moun- tains in the E. of the island, composed of primary rocks; but N. of the river Tirso, and extending from thence to the N. coast of the island beyond Sassari, is an extensive volcanic tract, occupied in consider- able part by a range of extinct volcanoes, one of which, the Monte Urticu, rises to an elevation of 3430 feet. There is no trace of any volcanic action having taken place within the historical period, but extensive tracts are still covered with broad streams and fields of lava. Notwithstanding this abundance of mountains, Sardinia possesses several plains of considerable extent. The largest of these is that called the Campidano, which extends from the Gidf of Cagliari to that of Oristano, thus separating entirely the range of mountains in the SW. from those in the E. of the island; it is a tract of great fertility. A similar plain, though of less extent, stretches across from the neighbourhood oi Alghero to that of Porto Torres, thus isolating the chain of the Monti della Nurra ; while several smaller ones are found in other parts of the island. The general character of Sardinia is therefore well sunjmed up by Strabo, when he says, " the greater part of it is a rugged and wild country, but a large part contains much fertile land, rich in all kinds of produce, but most especially in corn." (Strab. v. p. 224.) The great disadvantage of S;irdinia, in ancient as well as modern times, was the insalubrity of its climate. This is repeatedly alluded to by ancient writers, and appears to have obtained among tho Romans an almost proverbial notoriety. Mela calls it " soli quam coeli melioris, atque ut foecunda, ita penc pestilens." Strabo gives much the s;ime ac- count, and Martial alludes to it as the most deadly climate he can mention. (Strab. v. p. 225 ; Mel. ii. 7. §19; Pans. x. 17. § 11; JIartial, iv. 60. 6 ;