CORSICA

The first settlers on Corsica were Greeks from Phocaea on the coast of Asia Minor. In 565 BCE, they founded the colony of Alalia (now Aléria) on the east coast of the island, which they called Kalliste or 'the most beautiful one'. In 540 BCE in a decisive battle at Alalia, the Greeks were beaten by an alliance of the Carthaginians and Etruscans, which limited their expansion in the western Mediterranean. The Carthaginians took over the colony and called the island by the old Greek name Kyrnos, which means 'full of forests'. But in spite of this and the later military domination by Carthage (278-259 BCE) the Greeks still continued to exercise power in the colony, controlling the trade in wood, resin and honey.

Soon after the beginning of the first Punic War (264-241 BCE) the Romans took Alalia (259 BCE.) and began their conquest of Corsica. But the interior was not pacified until 162 BCE. Towards 100 BCE Alalia city was rebuilt and renamed Aleria, it became a great economic capital with its fortifications, hot springs and important naval base. At the same time Mariana was built at the mouth of the "Golu". Latin became the spoken language of the country and Roman civilization flourished, but Corsica would become a popular destination of exile for political opponents for whoever was in power in Rome.

SARDINIA

Around 1000 BCE the Phoenicians began to settle on the shores of Sardinia with increasing frequency. With the consent of local tribes the more common ports were those later named as: Caralis, Nora, Bithia, Sulcis, Tharros, Bosa, Torres and Olbia. They soon became important markets and after a time they formed into real towns inhabited by Phoenician families who traded on the open sea and with the Nuragic Sardinians inland.

In 509 BCE, with Phoenician expansion inland becoming ever more menacing and penetrating, the native Sardinians attacked the coastal cities of the Phoenicians. In order to defend themselves, they called upon Carthage for help. The Carthaginians, after a number of military campaigns, overcame the Sardinians and conquered the most mountainous region, later referred to as Barbaria or Barbagia. For 271 years, the splendid Carthaginian or Punic civilization flourished alongside the fascinating local Nuragic culture.

In 238 BCE, the Carthaginians, defeated by the Romans in the first Punic War, surrendered Sardinia which became a province of Rome. The Romans enlarged and embellished the coastal cities and with their armies even penetrated the Barbagia region, thereby bringing down the Nuragic civilization. The Roman domination in Sardinia lasted 694 long years but was often opposed by the Sardinians. Nevertheless Sardinia adopted the Latin language and civilization