During the Roman Era, Carales (Cagliari) was the most important city in Sardinia. The reconstruction of its urban layout was carried out by experts, not only based on archaeological findings, but also thanks to written documentation. It was thus possible to reconstruct the appearance of a constantly growing city, especially during the Imperial age. Compared to the previous Punic settlement, in the western part (currently Via Brento, Via Po, Via Simeto), the centre of the Roman city was more easterly, in the area of the current Piazza del Carmine. This is where the forum stood, with the main public and religious buildings, not far from the port that archaeological digs have indicated as near to the modern-day Via Campidano. In the 1st-2nd century, a small amphitheatre, one of the most important buildings in Roman Sardinia, was built in a small valley on the southern side of the Colle di Buon Cammino. Between Via Sassari and Largo Carlo Felice, there were the thermal bath, while the dwellings were in the area behind Piazza del Carmine, along the axis of the current Corso Vittorio Emanuele. The residential area was enclosed between the two most important necropolises, the western Tuvixeddu and the eastern Bonaria one. The burial areas were placed in the suburbs, outside the residential area, as dictated by Roman law, that forbade burials in urbe.

Fig. 1 - Cagliari, the so-called “Villa di Tigellio” (from http://www.comune.cagliari.it/portale/it/scheda_sito.wp?contentId=SIT489).

Fig. 2 - Cagliari, Mosaic of Orpheus found close to the church of the Annunziata (from http://www.comunecagliarinews.it/news.php?pagina=13840).

Fig. 3 - Cagliari, the Roman amphitheatre (from http://www.cagliariturismo.it/it/luoghi/i-luoghi-della-storia-316/monumenti-80/anfiteatro-romano-170).