History of Sardinia strongholds on strategic points in the south and west of Sardinia, often peninsulas or islands near estuaries, easy to defend and natural harbours, such as Tharros, Bithia, Sulci, Nora and Caralis (Cagliari). The majority of the inhabitants in these cities were of indigenous nuragic stock while the Phoenician element was, although culturally predominant, in minority. The Phoenicians came originally from what is now Lebanon and founded a vast trading network in the Mediterranean. Sardinia had a special position because it was central in the Western Mediterranean between Carthage, Spain, the river Rhône and the Etruscan civilization area. The mining area
History of the Jews in Sardinia Sardinia. Little recorded Jewish history of early Sardinia remains but it is presumed they led a quiet, provincial life with full rights along with the natives. They even left a mark on Sardinian itself in words like Friday that, unlike the other Romance languages, is actually "chenàpura" or "cenàpura", deriving its name from the Latin "cena pura" in order to designate the food prepared for Shabbat eve. When Christianity became the state religion of Rome, Jewish rights everywhere, including Sardinia, became curtailed. After the fall of Rome, a succession of foreign rulers became the governors of Sardinia and life for