88 Galoppini
depended on the militias (comitatenses).7 Greek was the official language of
the administration, while Latin was the common spoken language and became
somewhat transformed into an idiosyncratic romance dialect.8
There are few sources on Sardinian history during the centuries of Late
Antiquity (fourth-seventh centuries AD). These are often limited to indirect
citations, rare epigraphs, low reliefs, and architectural monuments that have
been modified over the course of time. Recent research adheres to the theory
that the legacy of Roman civilization lasted longest in the low-lying plains and
coastal regions, while it was not able to penetrate the mountainous areas that
were characterized by a pastoral civilization.9
The coastal Sardinian cities maintained a noteworthy vitality until the be-
ginning of the eighth century, thanks to their strong commercial and cultural
ties to the Italian peninsula and the coastal regions of Africa. More specifically,
Pisa played a central role in trade due to its ancient port structure. Indeed,
many precious minerals (granite from Gallura, silver, lead), as well as large-
consumption commodities (cereals, wine), zoo-technical products (hides), and
pasteurized goods (cheese, wool, salted meats) were exported from Sardinia; in
turn the island imported artisanal and manufactured goods.
2 Pope Gregory and the Lombards
An epigraph found in the locality of Donori (Cagliari) relating the customs duty
issued under Emperor Maurice Tiberius (582–602) is testimony to active com-
mercial activity and the internal circulation of money.10 The harbor of Carales
was a useful port of call for merchants in the Mediterranean, with a customs
office that controlled the movement of ships and collected levied duties.
7 Alberto Boscolo, La Sardegna bizantina e alto-giudicale (Sassari, 1978).
8 Giulio Paulis, Lingua e cultura nella Sardegna Bizantina: Testimonianze linguistiche
dell’influsso greco (Sassari, 1983).
9 Attilio Mastino, “La romanità della società giudicale in Sardegna: il Condaghe di San Pietro
di Silki,” in Atti del Convegno Nazionale La Civiltà Giudicale in Sardegna nei Secoli XI–XIII:
fonti e documenti scritti: Sassari, Aula Magna dell’Università, 16–17 marzo 2001, Usini, Chiesa
di Santa Croce, 18 marzo 2001 (Sassari, 2002), pp. 23–61; Attilio Mastino, Giovanna Sotgiu,
and Natalino Spaccapelo, eds, La Sardegna paleocristiana tra Eusebio e Gregorio Magno:
atti del convegno nazionale di studi, Cagliari, 10–12 ottobre 1996 (Cagliari, 1999).
10 Jean Durliat, “Taxes sur l’entrée des marchandises dans la cité de Carales-Cagliari à
l’époque byzantine (582–602),” Dumbarton Oaks Papers 36 (1982), pp. 1–14; André Guillou,
“La diffusione della cultura bizantina,” in Guidetti, Storia dei Sardi e della Sardegna, vol. 1,
pp. 406–407.