Sulki
Sulki or Sulcis is now the name of a landscape in southwestern Sardinia in the province of Carbonia-Iglesias .
The name can be traced back to the Phoenician or Punic settlement Sulki on that 108 km² island of the Sulcis archipelago, which today is called Sant'Antioco , like its main town with 12,000 inhabitants . Like other foundations ( Monte Sirai ), it was surrounded by a strong wall, the remains of which can still be seen.
founding
The Phoenicians founded between 900 and 700 BC With Tharros , Sulki (also Sulky, Roman Sulcis), Nora and Karales (Roman Caralis, today Cagliari ) on Sardinia the first cities as independent city-states and trading posts . Proof of this is the stele of Nora , one of the oldest written documents in the western Mediterranean. The island, which was already connected to the mainland by a three-kilometer-long dam, was visited primarily for its lead , but also iron ore , copper , silver and zinc deposits . Sulki, which lies under today's city of Sant'Antioco, was from 550 BC. A colony of Carthage, which was founded in 238 BC. Passed into Roman rule.
prehistory
Not far from Sulki menhirs ( Menhir von Terrazzu ) have been found, which together with finds like the obsidian from Monte Arci indicate that this part of Sardinia (since the 6th millennium BC) was also inhabited by arable farmers. Traces of the Bono Ighinu culture were found under the Abri of Tatinu-Santadi .
The buildings
Punic necropolises from the 5th to 3rd centuries are also known from Ibiza , Puig des Molins ( Mallorca ) and Tuvixeddu in Cagliari , where they have been better preserved because they have not been reused as Christian catacombs .
The tophet on the trachy hill of Sulcis was only recognized as a burnt offering place of the Baal cults because there were biblical texts about burnt offerings by children in the Palestinian region, but these have not yet been discovered there. It was not until the excavation at the Salambǒ lagoon , in the ruined city of Carthage , that Tephatim existed outside the Levant. In Sardinia, Bithia , Nora, Monte Sirai and Tharros are certainly recognized as such places. Some other places are under discussion. Most of the urns and votive steles found on the Tephatim can be seen in the Museum of Cagliari in Fall Sulki, but also on site in the “Antiquarium”.
The remains of the ancient port and a bridge date from around 750 years of Roman times (238 BC to 534 AD).
Christian catacombs from the 4th and 5th centuries and a largely intact labyrinth-like tunnel system under the old town can be found. Some houses even today use the ancient burial chambers with rows of niches as cellars. The catacombs of the "Basilica di Sant'Antioco" and the grottoes next to the ethnographic museum are open to the public . In Sant'Antioco, which is named after the island's patron saint, the probably oldest festival on the island, the "Sagra", is celebrated 15 days after Easter. The basilica was built in the 5th century over the cave where Sant'Antioco Martire died. In honor of the patron saint, the great festival was probably celebrated as early as the 12th century. In 1124 a judge from Cagliari even left the island to the saint, which is why it bears his name.
The aftermath
The city was plundered by Saracen pirates several times and was abandoned in the 16th century. Fortino Sabaudo (also known as Su Pisu), built in 1812, was destroyed by Corsican pirates a little later . Nearby are caves that are still in use today .
literature
- Rainer Pauli: Sardinia. History culture landscape. Voyages of discovery on one of the most beautiful islands in the Mediterranean . 7th edition. DuMont, Cologne 1990, ISBN 3-7701-1368-3 , ( DuMont documents. DuMont art travel guide ).
- Dionigi Scano: Storia dell'arte in Sardegna dal XI al XIV secolo. Cagliari-Sassari, Montorsi 1907, pp. 136-139.
Web links
Coordinates: 39 ° 13 ' N , 8 ° 29' E