The church of San Simplicio

This is the coat of arms of the our city

The history of Olbia

The history of Olbia covers 24 centuries throughout which the city changed its name six times: Olbia, Fausania, Civita, Terranova Pausania, Olbia.

The territory was inhabited since the neolitic age.

The nuragic civilization developed in Olbia in the copper age; the nuraghe, the most important building of that time, is a monumental construction in a conic shape ( the most common) or more complex with three or four towers joined by strong walls like the nuraghe of Barumini; probably there were more than 50 nuraghi in Olbia, but most of all were destroyed.

Nowadays remain the nuragic village of Cabu Abbas, where the nuraghe Riu Mulinu is surrounded by strong walls (250 meters long); the nuraghi Iscia Piuniga, Aldalà, Su Casteddu, Criscula (built in mountain areas) and the nuraghi Belveghile, Paulelada, Labia, Chidonza (built in plains).

Near the city, on the road to Golfo Aranci, we find another important nuragic monument: Sa Testa's Holy Well; the structure of this building reminds us of a bovine or a bull fruitfulness. These holy wells were sacred sites were the nuragics celebrated their rituals directed to obtain water, a vital element in a dry region like Sardinia.

South the city, near the Pedres Castle, there is another important example of funerary art of the nuragic architecture: the tomb of giant of Monte e S'Abe, the biggest in the island. The name of this tombs should not deceive us, since it is the result of a popular belief.

In these tombs a lot of dead were buried.

Nuraghe Of Cabu Abbas or Riu Molinu

The tomb of giant of Monte e S'Abe

Nuragic sources Li Fitteddi

Dolmen

Nuragic Age or Bronze Age “bronzetto”

The Phoenician- Punic Age

It seems that the Phoenicians were the first founders of the city, but there is no proof of that; according to the historians its foundation was attributed to the Punics; in fact the first historic information about Olbia date back to the third century B. C. when the centre was dominated by the Carthaginians.

The Punics called the settlement El-bi, then transformed in Olbia by the Greek merchants for two possible reasons: the name was very similar to the punic term and at the same time the position of that place was really good (Olbia in the Greek language means “happy place”).

The gulf of Olbia was well sheltered and easily defensible; the hinterland was fruitful and full of water courses; it was the ideal place for agricolture especially for the wheat growing ( it was preferred by the Carthaginians).

The Carthaginians gave an impetus to the development of the city, and made it a commercial port till 238 B. C. when the Romans conquered Olbia and Sardinia. From the punic period we preserve the walls, made of big stones, in Torino street, a cistern discovered in Regina Margherita square and some punic inscriptions dedicated to a divinity.

The cistern discovered in regina Margherita square

The punic necklace

The Roman Age

The Roman period started in 238 B. C. and came to an end in the third century A. D.

During the Roman domination Olbia had a great expansion and, an enclosure wall, called “Urbs”, was built to defend the city, now ten times as big than before. Inside the walls the main streets corresponded to the present ones of Corso Umberto and via Regina Margherita, where rose public buildings and private houses. The port was increased and Olbia became a bridgehead for the commercial traffics from Sardinia to Rome.

In the imperial era the city reached the peak of its productive activity in agriculture, industry and commerce. The Romans built the forum and the thermal baths, now disappeared, and the aqueduct of which today still remain some ruins in località Sa Rughittula.

Recently the archeologists brought to light a house on the right bank of the Podrongiano river and, during the building of the tunnel near the old port, a lot of ships; both the discoveries will permit us to know better this historic period. With the decadence of the Roman Empire Olbia lost its importance and it was sacked and destroyed by the Vandals.

The people took refuge in the inland town called località Fausania.

In the 6^th century the Byzantines defeated the Vandals and took possession of Sardinia subjecting the island to an extremely harsh fiscal system and causing an economical regression.

Remains of the roman anphoras

The roman aqueduct

Paleochristian Age

The first period of the development of Christianity in Olbia is somewhat uncertain. But there are some traditions connected to the life of some important men. They tell during a storm S. Paolo shipwrecked in the southern part of the territory, now called Porto S. Paolo, and started to preach the new religion.

Pope Pontianus was exile in the Molara island where he ordered to build a church and where he died.

The most illustrious figure is surely S. Simplicio; he was a bishop and a martyr probably in Diocleziano's time. To the saint is dedicated the marvellous 12^th century church of S. Simplicio, the most important monument of Olbia.

S. Simplicio’s feast

The age of he Judicatures

When the Arabs started their attempts to invade Sardinia, the Byzantine governors were not particularly concerned about Sardinian affairs, so Sardinia was forced to organize single- handedly its defence against the Arab invasions. So the island was divided into four zones called Sardinian Judicatures; the name indicates that the judge was the head of the Judicature. They referred to the most important cities of the Sardinian coast line: Cagliari, Tharros, Torres, Civita- Fausania (Olbia).

The Gallura Judicature really didn't govern by itself because it was always under the Pisan influence. Probably the first judge's name was Torchitorio and he was followed by others. The judges ordered to build castles to defend the town and organized again the economic activities.

The Pedres castle dates back to this period; it is in the southern part of the city and its ruins consist of a high tower.

During this period the city took the name of Terranova Pausania and it will preserve it till 1939, when it was called again with the ancient name of Olbia. This was a period of constant wars between the Judicatures; in fact during a battle between the Pisani, who dominated in Gallura, and the Judicature of Arborea, an Aragonese fleet allied with it attacked and took possession of Terranova.

Under the Aragonese domination the city had a social and economic decline: they stopped their commercial exchanges with the Italian peninsula; the Diocesi was abolished; the Spanish nobles were interested in collecting taxes without any concern for the people.

Poverty, epidemics, and frequent incursion by the pirates destroyed the city that in 1665 had less than 200 people.

The Pedres’s castle

Olbia from 1800 to 1900

After different domination, in 1700, the island passed under the Savoyard government but only in 1800 an improvement was evident thanks to the innovations made by Charles Emanuel III.

The city was connected to Cagliari n d other centres of the island by roads and a railway.

The new connection system gave a new impulse to the commercial operations of the port, from which left wheat, cheese, hides, cattle and cork.

In the first decades of 1900 some events marked the history of the city: the transfer of the passengers shipping lines from Golfo Aranci to Terranova and the construction or the wharf that connected the Isola Bianca with the dry land. Important factories rose for the mussel- breeding, dairies and industries for the cork- working.

With the development of the port, the city started to live again and since that moment Olbia could compete not only with the economy of Gallura but of the whole island as well.

The lighthouse of the port

Olbia today

After the fascit interval, and the harsh bombings it suffered in 1943, the great event of tourism allowed Olbia to take off in a definitive way: the recent enlargement of the harbour of Isola Bianca, the construction of the industrial port, the expansion of the Costa Smeralda airport have made the city the real connection point of the island with the continent.

Over the last years the city has in many ways confirmed its role as an economical bridge and even perhaps as a sociale bridge, between Sardinia and the peninsula, becoming an ideal pole of attraction for the capital from the north. All this has been accomplished without destroying traditional sources of economy: mussel farming is a still a consolidated reality and a secure source of employment for at least a thousand families of the town, as well as a note of local folklore, fishing the local fleet of fishing-boats assures at least a regular income, craftmen confirm the significant role, the building trade is still important in a town that has undergone a real urban explosion.

The sea of Costa Smeralda (emerald)

Lavoro delle classi 5^ S. Maria