Phoenician settlements

Carbonia, fortificazioni fenicie di nuraghe Sirai. Foto da Sardegna DigitalLibrary

The history of the Phoenician presence in Sardinia goes through various phases of a gradual settlement process. The first forms of contact had to take place in sites directly controlled by the Nuragic Sardinians, of which an emblematic example is the site of Sant'Imbenia (Alghero) where clear traces of contacts between Nuragic, Phoenician and Euboic (Greek) people have been found.
The history of the Phoenician presence in Sardinia goes through various phases of a gradual settlement process.
The first forms of contact had to take place in sites directly controlled by the Nuragic Sardinians, of which an emblematic example is the site of Sant'Imbenia (Alghero) where clear traces of contacts between Nuragic, Phoenician and Euboic (Greek) people have been found.

The next step had to be represented by the creation of simple emporiums, places designed to promote and regulate the commercial exchanges on which the Phoenician economic system was based.

The third phase of the process was the planting of real cities on Sardinian soil, located not only on the coasts, to control the main landings for Sardinia, but also in more inland locations (as in the case of Monte Sirai), always in crucial areas of what should represent the main road junctions.
It should also be noted that the archaeological traces of the Phoenician presence in the interior areas, even in non-urbanized locations, are now a fact, testifying to a significant widespread nature of contacts between Phoenicians and Sardinians in all the main areas of the island.

Even at this stage, the nuraghi continue to represent a pole of settlement attraction, as evidenced by the obvious traces of reuse.

Update

13/9/2023 - 18:05