The Iglesiente is a traditional and geographical subdivision of

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label= Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, aft ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. It encompasses the northern

province of Carbonia-Iglesias The province of Carbonia-Iglesias (, ) was a province in the autonomous region of Sardinia, Italy. It included the historical area of Sulcis-Iglesiente and it was the smallest province of Sardinia. It is bordered by the provinces of Cagliari and Me ...

and the south-western one of the

province of Medio Campidano A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...

, and its main center is Iglesias. Languages spoken include

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

and Sardinian ( Campidanesu).

History

Historically, it was inhabited since pre-

Nuragic The nuraghe (, ; plural: Logudorese Sardinian , Campidanese Sardinian , Italian ), or also nurhag in English, is the main type of ancient megalithic edifice found in Sardinia, developed during the Nuragic Age between 1900 and 730 B.C. ...

times. Later, it became an important metallurgic district for the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

, who had here a town known as ''

Metalla Metalla was a Roman mining center located in the Iglesiente region of Sardinia entrusted to a ''procurator metallorum'' where were destined Christians and slaves condemned to forced labor. Mentioned in ancient sources, it hosted a thermal building ...

'' From this period dates the construction of the

Temple of Antas The Temple of Antas is an ancient Carthaginian-Roman temple in the commune of Fluminimaggiore, southern Sardinia, Italy. It is located in an area colonised by the Carthaginians and then by the Romans, attracted by its silver and lead deposits ...

at Fluminimaggiore, dedicated to the cult of the

Sardus Pater Sardus ( grc, Σάρδος), also Sid Addir and Sardus Pater ("Sardinian Father") was the eponymous mythological hero of the Nuragic Sardinians. Sardus appears in the writings of various classical authors, like Sallust, Solinus and Pausanias. Anc ...

. In the Middle Ages, the

Pisans Pisa ( , or ) is a city and '' comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the ...

founded here the mining town of Villa di Chiesa (modern Iglesias), which soon became one the largest in the island. Later it was conquered by the Aragonese, who held it until 1720, when the

house of Savoy The House of Savoy ( it, Casa Savoia) was a royal dynasty that was established in 1003 in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, the family grew in power from ruling a small Alpine county north-west of Italy to absolute rule of ...

acquired the whole of Sardinia. During the 17th-18th century were refounded the villages of

Musei Musei is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of South Sardinia in the Italian region Sardinia, located about west of Cagliari and about northeast of Carbonia. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,493 and an area of .All demo ...

Gonnesa Gonnesa is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of South Sardinia in the Italian region Sardinia, located about west of Cagliari and about northwest of Carbonia, in the Iglesiente subregion. The town was refounded in the late 18th cent ...

and

Fluminimaggiore Fluminimaggiore (''Frùmini Majori'' or ''Flùmini Majori'' in Sardinian language) is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of South Sardinia in the Italian region Sardinia, located about northwest of Cagliari and about north of Carbonia ...

while in the 19th was founded the mining village of Buggerru. Recently, the decline of the mining sector has caused a crisis of the local economy.

References

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History

References

See also