No trip without looking into the past, part I
Quote of the week
“Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
George Santayana, American philosopher (1863-1952)
As you know we are interested in history and past glories, or not so glorious pasts. It is always intriguing to visit old ruins. Who was living here? What was their life like? My fantasy starts working, but it is always good to try to find out the history behind a house, a place and a person. The more you see, the more you realise that many things are connected. In Sardinia we visited a few very interesting archeological sites and museums. Here a few notes and photos to highlight these remnants of a glorious past.
Nora
The first Phoenician city in Sardinia in the 8th century BC, it was an important commercial crossroad and port. From here it was possible to sail away in any weather. The city developed in the 4th century BC under Punic rule (that is the Carthaginians). As usual in those days, the Romans could not keep their hands off the island and conquered it in 238 BC. This was the highlight of the city when it grew to eight thousand inhabitants. We thought these ruins were on the higher scale of Roman ruins we have seen. In photos it is mostly a rubble of stones, but walking around the site you got a good idea of what it looked like and how it was planned. As we know, the Romans don’t go wrong in these kind of matters. We enjoyed the visit on another very hot day.
Temple of Antas
One of the most important monuments of Sardinia. Originally it was built by the Carhaginians, and then the Romans built their temple on top of it. Silver and lead were found in the area, so it attracted the various civilisations. The original temple was built around 500 BC, and restored around 300 BC. The Roman temple was built by emperor Augustus in the beginning of the 1st century AD, and restored a couple of hundred years later under Caracalla. It was discovered in 1836 and the current status was rebuilt in 1967. It gives you and idea at least, how it would have looked like. Close by is a small necropolis which is the reamins of a Nuragic village (13th-10th centuries BC).
On the way back we took a small detour to visit a 200 year old oak. Noblesse oblige, since my surname means oak leaf.
Tharros
Tharros is another interesting excavation site. The findings suggest that it was the Phoenicians that founded the town in the eight century BC. However, some years ago a part of an old settlement in the Mistras Lagoon was found. A submerged 100 m wall seems to have been part of an older port structure. In 1200 BC the sea level rose and the buildings submerged. A possible nuragic settlement seems to have existed here earlier.
The place was inhabited from 8th century BC and abandoned in the 10th century. First by the Phoenicians, then by Punics (Carthaginians) and then by the Romans. It was the capital of a Roman/Byzantine state from the 9th century until 1070 until it came under pressure of Saracen raiders. Shortly afterwards it was abandoned. The city tells the story of two thousand years of history. It is with great respect that we walked around the rather large city, now in ruins. Beautifully, situated by the sea, with several Roman baths, so people must have enjoyed being refreshed in the heat of the summer. It was the same in Nora, it also has several baths around the city.
That was some of the old places we visited. In the next newsletter I will tell you about a few, really interesting discoveries.
On my blog
Not much has happened on the Blog during my trip. Always difficult to find the time when you are travelling. Here are a few posts though.
The World of Yesterday by Stefan Zweig
The Classic Club Spin #38, The Razor’s Edge by W. Somerset Maugham
I totally agree with that quote, Lisbeth. And your information is as great as always. We can learn so much from our ancestors.