Stephen L. Dyson & Robert J. Rowland Jr.: Archaeology and history of Sardinia from the Stone Age to the Middle Ages: shepherds, sailors, & conquerors.

Stephen L. Dyson & Robert J. Rowland Jr.: Archaeology and history of Sardinia from the Stone Age to the Middle Ages: shepherds, sailors, & conquerors. STEPHEN L. DYSON & ROBERT J. ROWLAND JR. Archaeology andhistory of Sardinia PrehistoryIn 1979 human remains were found that were dated to 150,000 BC.In 2004, in a cave in Logodoru, a human finger bone was found that was dated up to 250,000 BC. from the Stone Age to the Middle Ages: shepherds,sailors, & conquerors. viii+240 pages, 91 illustrations. 2008.Philadelphia (PA): University of Pennsylvania (body, education) University of Pennsylvania - The home of ENIAC and Machiavelli.http://upenn.edu/.Address: Philadelphia, PA, USA. Museum of Archaeology& Anthropology; 978-1-934536-01-8 hardback $49.95. This volume aims to reconstruct a historical and archaeologicalprofile of Sardinia from the Palaeolithic to the Modern age in 220 pagesrich in maps and photographs. This has been achieved: the bookrepresents the synthesis of common research activities carried out bythe two scholars, as well as the legacy of Rowland's long-term work(Rowland 2001). In the foreword, Dyson tells us that Rowland'sdeath in 2007 meant that the volume could not undergo a final revision,an obviously vital stage for such an important book. But the manytypographical ty��pog��ra��phy?n. pl. ty��pog��ra��phies1. a. The art and technique of printing with movable type.b. The composition of printed material from movable type.2. errors, the confusion about some personal names andSardinian place names are not an obstacle to comprehension. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Sardinian historical research has deeply changed in the last fewyears: new and fundamental contributions are modifying our understandingof the island's historical and cultural palimpsest palimpsest(păl`ĭmpsĕst'): see manuscript. . Sardinia hasnow joined the wider Mediterranean context, confronting, and engagingwith, many other Mediterranean civilisations. Some omissions are presentin the volume's bibliography, mostly titles published after 2000(Giannattasio 2003; Bernardini & Zucca 2005; Mastino 2005). The book starts with a history of Sardinian studies and portraysthe attitudes of modern scholars towards the history of the island: thelatter is an issue apparent in every chapter of the book, highlightingwhat can be termed the 'ethnic' insularity of Sardinianscholars. Research into their original roots sometimes obscures theinfluences from, and the relationship with, other Mediterraneancultures: it has created some 'short-circuits' in thehistorical interpretation of some periods. The emergence of the Nuragic culture in the Bronze and Iron Ageshas played an important role. During this period, Sardinian society andeven the landscape were deeply modified: more than 8000 nuraghi werebuilt all over Sardinia. This extraordinary proliferation implies newforms of social and political organisation A political organization is any organization or group that is concerned with, or involved in the political process. Political organizations can include everything from special interest groups who lobby politicians for change, to think tanks that propose policy alternatives, to : on both these topics theauthors do not offer convincing solutions. There is a lack of clarity inthe interpretation of the phase between the end of the Bronze Age Bronze Age,period in the development of technology when metals were first used regularly in the manufacture of tools and weapons. Pure copper and bronze, an alloy of copper and tin, were used indiscriminately at first; this early period is sometimes called the andthe beginning of the Iron Age, a period of deep and rapid transformationin Nuragic society: the emergence of an aristocracy, a differentsettlement organisation and the monumentalisation of federal sanctuariesare the clues to a process of change which has to be interpreted in apositive way and must be read in connexion with the cultural andmaterial exchange with people from the East arriving in Sardinia. I wonder if, in this phase, the concentration into larger, morereceptive and better organised sites (such as Su Nuraxi at Barumini,Genna Maria at Villanovaforru, S. Imbenia and Palmavera at Alghero whichin a certain sense became 'cities') can allow for theinterpretation of a Sardinia comprising multiple powers engaged inreciprocal confrontations and dialogues, and with merchants from allover the Mediterranean present. In this perspective, the role of localorganisation during the Phoenician phase (seventh-sixth century BC),well analysed in the volume, could have a different significance: theSardinians could well act as strong partners in dialogue andrelationships in certain areas, deeply influencing and integratingforeign patterns in other limited districts of the island. A phase which, for many features, can be considered revolutionarybegins with the middle-late Archaic period The name Archaic Period is given by archaeologists to the earliest periods of a culture. In particular, it may refer to: the Archaic period in the Americas (8000 BC–1000 BC) the Archaic period in Greece (1000 BC–500 BC) (mid sixth century BConwards): the never-completed Carthaginian conquest of Sardinia and theensuing Roman rule over the island after 238 BC need furtherre-thinking. The volume lacks, in my opinion, a discussion of the natureof this conquest (but see the important chapters in van Dommelen 1998):a precise will to change society, culture and patterns of organisationlies behind the conquest by Carthage. This long and difficult phaserepresents the 'litmus test' for the previous Sardinianorganisation, eventually overtaken by the Carthaginian drive forreconstruction and reorganisation; it involves, with the birth of therelationship between cities and the countryside, not only the ancientPhoenician colonies, but also the whole of southern and centralSardinia. The Roman conquest of Sardinia will not affect this profoundreorganisation of the territory: the 'old' Punic cities willchange their appearance only at the end of Roman republic, with thebuilding in urban centres of fora, temples, thermae thermae:see baths. thermaePublic bathing complex of ancient Rome, designed for relaxation and social activity as well as bathing. The Romans developed public baths to a high degree of sophistication and standardization. , theatres,amphitheatres and aqueducts. But this revolutionary transformation inthe cities did not change the strong relationship the provincia Sardiniahad with North Africa and which will last until the Arab conquest ofCarthage. The phase which marks the passage from late antiquity Late Antiquity is a rough periodization (c. AD 300 - 600) used by historians and other scholars to describe the interval between Classical Antiquity and the Middle Ages in both mainland Europe and the Mediterranean world: generally between the decline of the western Roman Empire to the MiddleAges suffers from deep gaps in research. Sardinia appears to be ano-man's land, and we must ask ourselves whether our means ofdetection are effective enough to reconstruct a history of the Sardinianlandscape from the eighth century AD onwards. It is clear that from thelate tenth and eleventh centuries onwards that the history of JudicialSardinia is defined by documentary sources more than by archaeologicalones. This is an area where much work remains to be done. In conclusion, this is a useful volume for those who want todiscover the history of this beautiful Mediterranean island: Sardiniapreserves a real treasure of millenary traditions and customs that arethe result of a long history, during which many conquerors werefascinated by the island and became integrated as Sardinians. References BERNARDINI, P. & R. ZUCCA (ed.). 2005. Il Mediterraneo diHerakles: studi e ricerche (Atti dei Convegno di Studi, Sassari-Oristano26-28 marzo 2004). Sassari: Carocci. GIANNATTASIO, B.M. (ed.). 2003. Scavi di Nora, area C: scavi1996-1999. Genova: Brigati. MASTINO, A. (ed.). 2005. Storia della Sardegna antica. Nuoro: IlMaestrale. ROWLAND, R.J. JR. 2001. The periphery in the center: Sardinia inthe ancient and medieval worlds (British Archaeological ReportsInternational Series 970). Oxford: Archaeopress. VAN DOMMELEN, P. 1998. On colonial grounds: a comparative study ofcolonialism and rural settlements in first millennium BC west centralSardinia (Archaeological Studies Leiden University The Faculty of Creative and Performing Arts is a cooperation between Leiden University and the Royal Conservatoire and Royal Academy of Art. The university has never had a faculty of economics, business or management, since all these decades one thought this would not fit into its 2). Leiden: Facultyof Archaeology, Leiden University. MARCO MARCO Microelectronics Advanced Research CorporationMARCO Maritime ConsultingMARCO Massachusetts Association of Community Rehabilitation Organizations, Inc. (formerly MARF)RENDELI Dipartimento di Storia, Universita degli Studi di Sassari,Sardinia, Italy (Email: rendeli@uniss.it)