- chapter 12: Phoenician and Punic Sardinia –
fact, the sanctuary, in the territory of Capena, of the goddess Feronia, associated with
redemption from servitude and the right of asylum; it may imply the Sabellic origin and
the servile status of the colonists; behind the initiative there had to be the pressure of the
Roman plebs and its implementation was probably made possible by Caere, which may
have supplied the Romans with the ships needed to implement the enterprise. Moreover,
in this part of the east coast, there seems to be a strong Etruscan and Italic aspect, perhaps
from the ethnic viewpoint, since, again according to the account of Ptolemy, it may have
been established as the center of the population of Aesaronenses, whose name is certainly
traceable to the Etruscan area, even if we do not actually know when they settled on the
island. We are not aware of the duration of the foundation, or if the “Feronia” of Ptolemy
is in fact related to it and not created after the Roman conquest of the island, but it is
certain that Carthage had to quickly resume control of this part of the island. In fact,
according to Polybius (3.24), in 348 bc Rome and Carthage concluded a new treaty under
which the Romans were not allowed to carry on trade or to found any city in Libya and
Sardinia, regions that are now all offi cially recognized. In these territories landing was
only permitted in case of necessity and only for the time necessary to supply and repair and
in any case, even in the event of storms, for not more than fi ve days. Trade was, however,
allowed in Sicily and in Carthage itself. From the moment that Libya is included, we do
not know if the ban on founding cities in Sardinia can be related precisely to the previous
Etruscan-Roman attempt at colonization; it is, however, certain that since the middle
years of the fourth century bc, Carthage had proceeded to strengthen its control on the
central north-east coast of Sardinia, undoubtedly as an anti-Roman maneuver, and in this
light we should probably view the birth of the new city of Olbia. Similarly, the Punic
presence should be considered also, attested since the second half of the fourth century
bc, on the cliff of Posada, another focal point in the defense of a large tract of coastal land
behind, perhaps not coincidentally, near, or perhaps the same place where the Romans had
allegedly attempted the foundation of their fi rst colony in Sardinia.
From this period, Sardinia, along with the rest of the Punic world, received massive
imports of black gloss pottery from Attica with which, however, was associated black
gloss pottery produced in Latium, among which vases from the atelier des petites estampilles
were found especially in contexts dating from the second half of the fourth century bc.
Attested, but to a lesser extent, are ceramics produced in southern Etruria which could
be related to the trade in Etruscan wine which still persists in this phase. Among these
products are included the Genucilia plates, made in Falerii and Caere; documented
at Alalia in abundance, they were also found in various centers of Sardinia and, in
particular, and perhaps not coincidentally, just down the east and southern coast at Olbia
(Fig. 12.16), Sarcapos and Cagliari, where some of them have been identifi ed to come
from Caere. Tied to the same commercial circuit could also be a vessel for drinking
wine (skyphos) at Olbia, of which is preserved a fragment of wall with decoration in
superposed color, comparable with vases attributed to the “Group of Ferrara T 585,” also
well documented in Alalia, and a few other vessels, also dating from the late fourth and
early third century bc, including a truncated biconical container for oil (askos) from the
Funtana Noa necropolis of Olbia (Fig. 12.17), a cup of the Morel 2621 series from the
necropolis of Tuvixeddu in Cagliari, and two oinochoai with bag-like mouth, one from
Monte Sirai and the other from Tharros. With the Roman conquest of the island in 238
bc comes the defi nite end of any relationships, at least in Sardinia, between the Etruscan
and Punic worlds.