Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/928

 908 SARDINIA. Cic. ad Q. Fr. ii. 3; Tac. Hist. ii. 85; Sil. Ital. xii. 371.) There can be no doubt that tliis was mainly owing to the extensive marshes and lagnnes on the coast, formed at the moutlis of the rivers; and as these naturally adjoined the more level tracts and plains, it was precisely the most fertile parts of the island that suffered the most severely from ma- laria. (Strab. I. c.) The more elevated and moun- tainous tracts in the interior were doubtless then, as now, free from this scourge; but they were inhabited only by wild tribes, and rarely visited by the more ci- vilised inhabitants of the plains and cities. Hence the character of unhealthiness was naturally applied to the whole island. II. History. The statements of ancient writers concerning the origin of the population of Sardinia are extremely various and conflicting, and agree only in represent- ing it as of a very mixed kind, and proceeding from many different sources. According to Pausanias, who has given these traditions in the greatest detail, its first inhabitants were Libyans, who crossed oyer under the command of Sardus, the son of a native hero or divinity, who was identified by the Greeks with Hercules. (Paus. s. 17. § 2.) This Sardus was supposed to have given name to the island, which was previously called, or at least known to the Greeks, by that of Ichnusa ('Ix''oCo-o'), f'om the resemblance of its general form to the print of a man's foot. (Paus. Z. c. § 1 ; Sil. Ital. xii. 358 — 360; Pseud. Arist. Mirab. 104.) Timaeus, ac- cording to Pliny, called it Sandaliotis from the same circumstance (Plin. iii. 12. s. 17); but it is clear that neither of these names was ever in general use. The fact that the earliest population came from Africa is intrinsically probable enough, though little value can be attached to such traditions. Pausanias indeed expressly tells us (?. c. § 7) that the popu- lation of the mountain districts (the people whom he calls Ilienses) resembled the Libyans both in their physical characters and their habits of life. The next settlers, according to Pausanias, were a Greek colony under Aristaeus, to whom some writers ascribe the foundation of Caralis; and these were followed by a body of Iberians under a leader named Norax, who founded the city called Nora in the SW. part of the island. Next to these came a body of Greeks fr>m Thespiae and Attica, under the command of lolaus, who founded a colony at Olbia in the NE. corner of the island. After this came a body of Trojans, a part of those who had escaped from the destruction of their city, and established themselves in the southern part of the island. It was not till long afterwards that they were expelled from thence by a fiesh body of Libyans, who drove them up into the more rugged and inaccessil)le parts of the island, where they retained down to a late period the name of Ilienses (JlKius, Paus. x. 1 7. §§ 2 — 7 ; Sil. Ital. xii. 360 — 368). The existence of a moun- tain tribe of this name is a well attested fact, as they are mentioned by Livy as well as by the geo- graphers; and it is probable that the casual resem- blance of name gave occasion to the fable of their Trojan origin. [Ilienses.] The lolai or lolaenses, on the other hand, had lost their name in the time of Strabo, and were called, according to him, Dia- ghesbians {Atayria§eh,v. p. 22.5), a name which is, however, not found in any other ancient author. Another tribe, whose n.ame is found in historical times, is that of the IJalari, who, according to Pau- SARDINIA. sanias, derived their origin from a body of merre- naries in the service of Carthage, that had fled lor refuge to the mountains. (Paus. /. c. § 9.) To these must be added ihe Corsi, whose origin is sufii- ciently indicated by their name. They dwelt in the mountains in the N. of the island (the Montatjne di Limbarra), and had evidently crossed over from the adjacent island of Corsica, as they are described by Pausanias as having done. (Paus. I. c.) It is idle to attempt to criticise such traditions as these; they are related with many variations by other writers, some of whom term the lolaenses, others the Ilienses, the most ancient inhabitants of the island (Diod. iv. 29, v. 15; Meh ii. 7. § 19; Strab. V. p. 225 ; Sil. Ital. I. c); and it is clear that the different mountain tribes were often con- founded with one another. Strabo alone has a statement that the earliest inhabitants of Sardinia (before the arrival of lolaus) were Tyrrhenians (v. p. 225), by which he must probably mean Pelas- gians, rather than Etruscans. We have no account of any Greek colonies in Sardinia during the his- torical period: though the island was certainly well known to them, and seems to have been looked upon as affording a tempting field for colonisation. Thus we are told by Herodotus that when Phocaea and Teos were taken by Harpagus (b. c. 545) the project was suggested that all the remaining lonians should pro- ceed in a body to Sardinia, and establish themselves in that island. (Herod, i. 170.) Again in b. c. 499, Histiaeus of Miletus promised Darius to subdue the whole island for liim ; and it appears that the project of emigrating there was seriously entertained. (Id. V. 106, 124.) Pausanias indeed represents theWes- senians as thinking of emigrating there at a much earlier period, just after the close of the Second Messe- nian War, b. c. 668 (Paus. iv. 23. § 5); but none of these projects were realised, and it seems certain that there were no Greek settlements in the island at the time when it fell into the hands of the Carthaginians. The Carthaginian conquest is indeed the first fact in the history of Sardinia that can be considered as resting on any sure historical foundation ; and even of this the date cannot be fixed with certainty. It is probable indeed that at a much earlier period the Plioenicians had not only visited the coasts of Sar- dinia for commercial purposes, but had established trading stations or factories there. Diodorus indeed expressly tells us that they planted colonies in Sar- dinia, as well as in Sicily, Spain, and Africa (Diod. V. 35); and there seems some reason to ascribe to them the first foundation of the important cities of Caralis, Nora, and Sulci. (Movers, die Phonizier, vol. iii. pp. 558, 573.) But in this case, as in many others, it is impossible to separate distinctly what was done by the Phoenicians themselves and what by their descendants the Carthaginians. It is, however, certain that it was reserved for the latter to form extensive and permanent settlements in the island, of which they reduced the greater part mider their authority. According to Justin, the first Carthaginian expedition took place under a leader named Malchus, who was, however, de- feated in a great battle by the native barbarians. (Justin, xviii. 7.) The next invasion was con- ducted by Hasdrubal, the son of Mago, and the elder brother (if we may trust to the accuracy of Justin) of Hamilcar, who was killed at Hiniera, b. c. 480. Hasdrubal himself, after many suc- cesses, was slain in battle; but the Carthaginians seem to have from this time maintained their footing (