The ports

Ostia, Piazzale Corporazioni Turritani

In Roman times, Sardinia was subjected to intense agricultural and mining exploitation. Preziosa, therefore, had to prove the ability to ensure maritime traffic for the transport of the resources recovered to the island to be channeled into the network of commercial traffic, which were very flourishing in Roman times.
Rome paid particular attention to the coastal cities founded by the Phoenicians such as Karales, Sulci, Nora, Tharros, and planted new ones. In all of them, he built new port facilities.
Noteworthy is the news of the presence in Karales of a military base of the war fleet, which included Sardinian, Egyptian, Thracian and Dalmatian sailors. Equally interesting is the news that the largest number of sailors in the Roman fleets came from Sardinia.
Although the existence of real corporations of maritime transport contractors is not known for Sardinia, we know that in Ostia there must have been “Navicularii et Negotiators” (maritime transport contractors, in fact) from Karales (Cagliari) and Turris Libisonis (Porto Torres).
Finally, evidence of the importance and the considerable volume of maritime traffic are the loads of the wrecks of expensive ships, which together with the various classes of archaeological finds (ceramics, glass, metals) document the wide range of exports and imports.

Update

24/10/2025 - 15:48