Page:History of Art in Sardinia, Judæa, Syria and Asia Minor Vol 1.djvu/113

 General Outlines of Sardinian Civilization. 95 prior to the arrival of the former in Sardinia, when as yet the latter were sole masters of the country, but whom the victorious arms of Mago and his successors subsequently compelled to with- draw towards the central plateaux of the island, leaving these massive structures as footmarks of their former extension. If these towers are still standing, it is because in a country where stones abound, no need was felt for their demolition. The blocks, too, composing them were undressed and unwieldy, little calculated to attract a skilful bricklayer, whilst the towers could be made useful as shelters, notably as stores for grain and forage. It has been noticed that "nuraghs are not scattered haphazard over the surface of the island, but are found in large groups follow- ing well-defined lines, beyond which they are seldom met with. This main line is from north to south, along the foot of the hilly range supporting high plateaux, and the banks of the Tirso. Towers are of rare occurrence on the sea coast, with the exception of Nurra and the Sinis peninsula ; but even here they tend to concentrate inland. " The line we have drawn is that of the old Roman way, con- necting Karalis with Portus Libyssonis ; it is the present King's Road and railway. Nûraghs commence about Beauladu ; their number increases around the valley which from Oristano begins to rise towards Paoli- Latino, deflecting to the north-east ; they are distributed on all the buttresses or counter-forts of the principal range, on the plateaux of Abba-Santa, of Macomer, and Cam- pedda, the plain of Ghilivani and Orzieri forming their last barrier on this side. The Nurra group is to the north-west of this belt, with Sassari to the west. As may be inferred, this district takes its name from the number of nuraghs encountered here. The central hilly range to the north-east, and the uplands of Barbagia opposing a wall which was never forced by Carthaginian or Roman conqueror, and where isolated nuraghs form the exception." ' The foregoing observations have induced the conclusion that these towers were due to a people which landed on the western coast of the island, whose first station was Sinis. The conditions to be had here were as favourable as could well be desired ; the landing could be easily effected, and the place was naturally fortified. The peninsula, around which a broad belt of sea and multitudinous pools of water were cast, was only connected with 1 Baux and Gouin, Essai sur les Nûraghes, etc., pp. 189, 190.