Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/931

 SARDINIA. remained a dependency of the Byzantine Empire down to a late period. But in the 8th century, after having suffered severely from the incursions of the Saracens, it passed for the most part into the hands of that people, though the popes continued to assert a nominal sovereignty over the island. III. Topography. The principal physical features of Sardinia have been already described. Of the numerous ranges, or rather groups, of mountains in the island, tlie only ancient name that has been preserved to us is that of the lusANi MoiMTES (Liv. xxx. 39 ; Claudian, B. G. 513; TO Moiroiuera opt], Ptol.), and even of these it is not easy to determine the position with any degree of accuracy : the name was apparently applied to the mountains in the N. and NE. of the island, which seem to hare been regarded (though er- roneously) as more elevated than those farther S., so that the unhealthiness of the southern part of the island was popularly attributed to the shutting out of the bracing north winds by this range of lofty mountains. (Claudian, /. c. 513 — 515.) From its extent and configuration, Sardinia could not possess any very considerable rivers. The largest were, the Thyrsus (Jdiipaos, Ptol.: T'/rw), which rises in the mountains in the NE. of the island, and flows into tile Gulf of Orlstano on the W. coast; the Sacer Fluvius ('lepis TT0Tafx6s, Ptol.), which falls into the same gulf near Neapolis, now called the R. di Pahillonis; the Temus or Term us (Tep/xos, Ptol.), still called the Temo. and falling into the sea near Bosn, to the N. of the Thyrsus; the Caedrius (KatSpins, Ptol.), on the E. coast of the island, now the Flume di Orosei; and the Saeprus (2ai7r/)Jj, Ptol.), now the Flumendosa, in the SE. quarter of the island. No ancient name has been preserved for the Hio Samassi, which flows into the Gulf of Cacjliari, near the city of that name, though it is a more considerable stream than several of those named. Ptolemy has preserved to us (iii. 3) the names of several of the more important promontories and head- lands of the coast of Sardinia; and from its nature and configuration, most of these can be identified with little difficulty. The most northern point of the island, opposite to Corsica, was the promontory of Errebantium (^E^pe§duTLov &Kpov, Ptol.), now called the Piinta del Falcone, or Lungo Sardo. The NW. point, forming the western boundary of an extensive bay, now called the Golfo delP Asinara, is the Gor- ditanum Prom. (Top^iravov aKpov) of Pt^ilemy: immediately opposite to it lies the Isola dell' Asi- nara, the Herculis Insula ('HpafcAeous i-tjo-os) of Ptolemy and Pliny, and one of the most con- siderable of the smaller islands which surround Sardinia. This headland forms the N. extremity of the ridge of mountains called Monti della Nurra : the S. end of the same range forms a bold headland, now called Capo della Caccia, immediately adjoin- ing which is a deep land-locked bay, the Nymphaeus Portus of Ptolemy (Nv/j-cpaio? Ai^i^i'), now called Porto Conte. The Hermaeum Prom. (^Epixaiov oLKpov) of the same author is evidently the Cajjo di Marrar/iu, about 12 miles N. of the river Temo: the Coracodes Portus (KopatcaJSTjs Aip-rju), which he jjlacc? between that river and Tharros, is probably lliG small bay that is found S. of Capo Mannu. The Prom. Crassum (Uaxila &Kpa) nuist be Capo Al- tano, from whenee the coast trends to the SE. as far as the Capo di Teidada, the extreme S. point of the whole island, which must be the one called Cher- SARDINIA. 911 sonesus by Ptolemy ; but his positions for this part of the coast are very inaccurate. Opposite to this SW. corner of the island lay two small islands, one of them, called by Ptolemy the Island of Hawks {'lipaKdiv vricros'), is the Isola di S. Pietro ; the other, now known as the Isola di S. Antioco, is called by him Plumbaria Insula {Mui§ui5ris rTjo-os), while it is named by Pliny Enosis. It was joined to the mainland by a narrow strip of sand, and was the site of the celebrated town of Sulci, from whence the adjoining bay (now known as the Golfo di Palmas) derived the name of Sulcitanus Portus. Two other small ports mentioned by Ptolemy be- tween Cape Teulada and the site of Nora (at Capo di Pula), Bitiae Portus and Herculis Portus, must be the small coves at Isola Possa di Teulada and Porto Malfattano. The next headland, named Cunicu- larium I'roni. (Koui'iH'ouAapfoj' a/cpoi', but the reading is doubtful), is the Punta della Savorra; and the promontory of Caralis must be the headland im- mediately adjoining the city of that name, now called the Capo di S. Elia. Pliny, however, gives the name of Caralitanum Prom, to the SE. head- land of Sardinia, for which (singularly enough) Ptolemy furnishes us with no name. The small island lying off it, called both by him and Pliny Ficaria, is a mere rock, now known as the Isola dei Cavoll. Proceeding along the E. coast of the island, we find the Sulpicius Portus (SouAtti'/cios Aiju.TJv), which cannot be identified with certainty, and the Portus Olbianus {'OKSiavhs Mfj.riv), which is certainly the Gulf of Terranova; while towards the NE. extremity of the island are two headlands called Columbarium and Arcti Promontorium. The latter is still called Capo dell' Orso, from its fancied resemblance to the figure of a bear; the former can- not be clearly identified, though it is most probably the Capo di Ferro. Opposite this corner of Sar- dinia lie several small islands, of which the Isola della JIaddalena is the most considerable, and next to it the Isola di Caprera, These are probably the Phintonis and Ilva of Ptolemy, while Pliny terms them Phintonis and Fossa. The Cuniculariae In- sulae of Pliny are the small islets N. of these, now called the Isole dei Budelli. The towns of Sardinia were not numerous, and but i6w of them attained to any importance, at least down to a late period. Hence they are very sum- marily dismissed by Strabo, who notices only Caralis and Sulci by name, while Pliny tells us the island con- tained eighteen " oppida," that is. towns of municipal rank, but enumerates only sis, besides the colony of Turris Libysonis (Strab. v. p. 22; Plin. iii. 7. s. 13). The only towns which appear to have ever really been places of importance are: Caralis, the capital of the whole island, in ancient as in modern times; Sulci, in the extreme SW. of the island, on the Isola di S. Antioco; l^oRA, on the coast between Caralis and Sulci at the Capo di Pula ; Neapolis, on tlieW. coast, at the mouth of the Sacer Fluvius; Tharuos, on a promontory at the N. extremity of the Gulf of Orlstano ; Corn us, on the W. coast, about 16 miles further N.; BosA (Bicra, Ptol. iii. 3. § 7; Itin. Ant. p. 83), also on the W. coast, at the mouth of the river Temus, still called Bosa ; Turris Liuvsonis {Porto Torres), on the N. coast of the island; Tmui.A, at Lungo Sardo, near the extreme N. point or Cape Errebantium; and Olhia, on the Gulf of Terranova, in the NK. corner of tiio island. In the interior were: Forum Tha.jani {Fordungianus'), situated on the river Thyrsus