Detailed sheets

The revolt of Ampsicora

Sardinia became part of Roman holdings from 238 B.C., after two and a half centuries of Punic domination, following the defeat of the latter by Rome (fig. 1).

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Fig. 1 - Drawing of the Punic wars (from http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/punico/).

The island became a province of the Italic power. Corsica and the surrounding islands belonged to the same province. Despite that, Romanising the island progressed slowly and with great difficulty. Those problems arose during the first operations of the second Punic war (218-202 B.C.) with the rebellion of the Sardo-Punic peoples; this was peaked by the Revolt of Ampsicora (fig.2). This event gets its name from its commander: an inhabitant of Cornus, of uncertain origin, the tendency is to consider him a Sardo-Punic landowner, based on references from various sources.

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Fig. 2 - Ampsicora presented in the biographical Dictionary of illustrious Sardinian men (from TOLA 1838, Tab. II).

Rome was living a moment in which, due to too many wars, it required extreme economic efforts of its provinces. This caused considerable discontent amongst the Sardinians, especially the Sardo-Punic landowners who saw their economic interests seriously damaged. For that reason, in 215 B.C. the island requested the intervention of Carthage, which accepted the rebels' proposal and decided to send an expedition force commanded by General Hasdrubal (fig.3) to Sardinia.

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Fig. 3 - Coin of Hasdrubal (from http://nonciclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/File:Moneta_di_Asdrubale.jpg).

Two legions of a consular army were sent to Sardinia to quell the revolt, captained by T. Manlio Torquato: Cagliari was the reference centre for Roman power on the island, whilst Cornus was for the rebels under Ampsicora. The war took place in two hard battles (fig. 4). While the Sardo-Punic general was recruiting allies amongst the Sardi Pelliti, tribes who occupied inland areas, his army, commanded by his son, Osto descended from the northern part of Campidano towards Cagliari.

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Fig. 4 - Path travelled by the troupes and fields of the Battle of Cornus (from http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ampsicora#/media/File:Sardinia_215_aC_-_Ampsicora_rivolta.png).

The first clash, probably near San Vero Milis, ended with the defeat of the rebels who were routed. Subsequently, the Carthaginian fleet reached Korakodes portus (about 9 km South-West of Cornus) bringing reinforcements to the rebels. The Punic forces, headed by the Carthaginian commander, Hasdrubal, Osto and Ampsicora descended towards Karales again, continuously devastating everything in their path. In a location probably near Sanluri, the second battle took place and was once again a Roman victory.

About twelve thousand Sardinian-Punic men died on the battlefield, including Osto. Ampsicora, learning about his son's death, killed himself during the night.

Bibliografia

  • F. BARRECA, La civiltà fenicio-punica in Sardegna, Sassari 1986.
  • F. BARRECA, Ampsicora tra storia e leggenda, in AA. VV., Ampsicora e il territorio di Cornus. Atti del II Convegno sull'archeologia romana e altomedievale nell'Oristanese (Cuglieri, 22 dicembre 1985) = Mediterraneo tardoantico e medievale. Scavi e ricerche, 6, Taranto 1988, pp. 25-30.
  • A. MASTINO, Cornus la protagonista della lotta dei sardi contro i romani, in Frontiera: rivista mensile illustrata di cultura, arte, scienza, politica, umanità, 9, 100, p. 109.
  • A. MASTINO, Cornus nella storia degli studi con un catalogo delle iscrizioni rinvenute nel territorio del comune di Cuglieri, Cagliari 1984, p.
  • A. MASTINO, Analfabetismo e resistenza: geografia e epigrafica della Sardegna, in A. CAL-BI, A. DONATI, G. POMA (a cura di), L’epigrafia del villaggio. Atti del Convegno AIEGL (Forlì 1999), Faenza 1993, pp. 498-510.
  • A. MASTINO (a cura di), Storia della Sardegna antica = La Sardegna e la sua storia, 2, Nuoro 2005, pp. 77-84.
  • A. MASTINO, I Sardi Pelliti del Montiferru o del Marghine e le origini di Hampsicora, in G. MELE, Santu Lussurgiu. Dalle origini alla grande guerra, I, Nuoro/Bolotana 2005, pp. 141-166.
  • A. MASTINO, R. ZUCCA, Urbes et rura: città e campagna nel territorio oristanese in età romana, in P. G. SPANU, R. ZUCCA (a cura di), Oristano e il suo territorio, 1. Dalla preistoria all’alto Medioevo, Roma 2011, pp. 411-601.
  • P. MELONI, La Sardegna romana, Sassari 1975, pp. 29-33.
  • P. MELONI, La Sardegna romana, Sassari 1990, pp. 59-60, 120.
  • L. PANI ERMINI, s.v. Cornus, in Enciclopedia dell’Arte Antica, Classica e Orientale on line, 1994.
  • G. PESCE, s.v. Cornus, in Enciclopedia dell’Arte Antica, Classica e Orientale on line, 1959.
  • A. ROPPA, Città e campagne nella Sardegna di Età Ellenistica, tesi di dottorato, Università degli Studi di Padova, a.a. 2007-2008, pp. 17, 23.
  • P. TOLA, Dizionario biografico degli uomini illustri di Sardegna. Tavole, Torino 1838.
  • R. ZUCCA, Cornus e la rivolta del 215 a.C. in Sardegna, in A. MASTINO (a cura di), L'Africa romana. Atti del III Convegno di studio (Sassari, 13-15 dicembre 1985), Sassari 1986, pp. 363-387.
  • R. ZUCCA, Contributo alla topografia della battaglia di Cornus (215 a.C.), in Dal mondo antico all'età contemporanea: studi in onore di Manlio Brigaglia offerti dal Dipartimento di storia dell'Università di Sassari = Collana del Dipartimento di Storia dell’Università degli studi di Sassari, Nuova serie 7, Roma 2001, Roma 2001, pp. 53-72.

 

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