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A SHORT HISTORY |
  
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| The first signs of civilisation date back to the 17th millenium b.C. when people who arrived by sea settled first along the coasts and later in the mountain areas where they engaged in agriculture and sheep-farming, the collection of raw materials and wild fruit, hunting and fishing, the use of splinters of obsidian, a crystalised volcanic rock, and producing domestic utensils with pottery, interlacing vegetal fibres, facing stone, weaving wool and manufacturing the first metal objects. These prehistoric Sardinians lived in villages of huts or pile dwellings, inside caverns, by the ponds along the coast or in fortified megalithic villages; they had a religion of their own with the symbols of life and fertility, adored the Mother-goddes and the Bull-god and worshipped the dead whom they buried in grottoes dug in the rockfaces which were known as "domus de janas" (the home of fairies). Other peoples from the Orient came to Sardinia in the 2nd millenium b.C. and settled all over the island, building great conical towers in megalithic style known as Nuraghi, fortresses within view of each other, on the highest points, on promontories and at the mouths of valleys. In the shadow of these superb constructions a brilliant civilisation developed, a civilisation of art, work, culture and morality that distinguished itself in the agricultural and pastoral economy, in metal working and practical activities, as well as in highly developed architecture. These peoples worshipped the spring waters in the so-called "well temples" and venerated their ancestors in the "giants' tombs", making offerings of vivid statues representing men, animals, ships and totems, all of which are objects of notable artistic value. After the year 1000 b.C. the Phoenicians settled on the island, founding a number of cities along the coast and setting up trade with peaceful political relations from the towns of Nora, Karales, Sulci, Tharros, Bithia and Cornus. Sardinia was invaded in the 6th century b.C. by the Carthaginians who fought against the local tribes and conquered the entire island. During the Punic wars Sardinia was occupied by the Romans who managed to colonise it after centuries of struggles, until the introduction of Christinity which spread alongside the ancient pagan rites. With the decline in the Roman Empire Sardinia was invaded successively by the Vandals, Visigoths, Byzantines and Arabs: the population reacted vigorously, however, and succeded in establishing the island's independence with four autonomous kingdoms known as "Giudicati". This was a period of economic and cultural growth for Sardinia, but the marine republics of Pisa and Genoa both attempted to colonise the island and for many years fought to dominate it until Pope Boniface VIII handed the Kingdom of Sardinia over to the Aragonese who drove the invaders away and ruled the island for over two centuries. The kingdom later became part of the Spanish empire until the beginning of the 18th century and after a brief parenthesis of Austrian rule, Sardinia was assigned to the house of Savoia. From 1848 onwards the island followed the rest of Italy in the struggle for independence and social and economic renewal, developing its industries, handicrafts and tourism.
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