One of the first and most important Roman activities in Sardinia was building a road system to connect the most important centres, from one end of the island to the other (fig. 1).

Fig. 1 - The main centres and roads of Roman Sardinia. In green the road to Karalibus Turrem (from Cagliari to Porto Torres); in red Forum Traiani (from Mastino 2005, p. 340, re-worked by  C. Tronchetti).

Inscriptions, called milestones, were usually placed along the main roads to indicate distances between towns; they often included the name of the governor who handled restoration of the road itself.

The milestone, found around 1820 near Fordongianus (figs. 2-3), had been positioned by Marco Elio Vitale, praeses (governor) of the province, already known for another inscription found in Olbia.

Fig. 2 - Milestone positioned by the praeses Marco Elio Vitale in  282-283 A.D. (photo by N. Monari, RAS Archives).

Fig. 3 - Milestone positioned by the praeses Marco Elio Vitale in  282-283 A.D. (photo by N. Monari, RAS Archives).

The inscription, not found intact, holds the dedication by Marco Elio Vitale to the Emperor Marco Aurelius Caro (282-283 A.D.) and to his two sons Marco Aurelius Carino (283-285 A.D.) and Marco Aurelius Numerian (283-284 A.D.), which allows us to date the stone to the years 282-283 A.D.