Revue d'Archéomêtrie, 22, 1998, p. 65-76.

LOCAL AND IMPORTED PUNIC POTTERY

(IV-IH century B.C.) FROM THARROS (Western Sardinia, Italy)

Bruno FABBRI* Marco AMADORI* et Maria LetiziaAMADORI**

1 - Introduction

1.1 - The phoenician settlement of Tharros

Sardinia has a very important position within the context of the extensive Phoenician colonisation in the Mediterranean area, which began around the middle of the VIII century B.C. starting from the Syrian-Palestinian and Cypriot coastlines and ended up in the far western part of

Europe (Spain, Morocco and Portugal). Related to the richness of the mining resources and the strategic for controlling the routes from the East to the West, the Phoenician presence on the island had a profound impact on the political-social organisation and on the of the pre-existing nuraghe peoples. The results of such an acculturation influx continued also after the conquest of Sardinia in 238 B.C. (Acquaro, 1988).