 Ruins at Bithia | |
  Bithia Shown within Italy | |
| Alternative name | Bitan |
|---|---|
| Location | Chia,South Sardinia,Sardinia,Italy |
| Coordinates | 38°53′45″N8°53′7″E / 38.89583°N 8.88528°E /38.89583; 8.88528 |
| Type | Settlement |
Bithia orBitia[1] was aPhoenician,Carthaginian, andRoman town located nearChia in the extreme south ofSardinia,Italy. Most of the ruins have been submerged underwater.
Bithia was founded by thePhoenicians in the 8th century BC asBitan (Punic:𐤁𐤉𐤕𐤏𐤍,BYTʿN,[1][2] "Palace"). It fell underCarthaginian control until thePunic Wars, when it becameRoman. Punic culture survived well into the Roman period.[3] It was abandoned in the early 7th century, when the population fled inland to escape Arab raids.
In 1963, following heavy storms, some ruins of the city came to light. Still observable are the remains of a Punic temple on the island ofCardolinu, on which are also found artifacts that seem to indicate the presence of atophet. Additional remains of houses and a second temple dedicated toBes are located at the foot of the promontory on which stands the Spanish tower called "Chia", the current name of the modern village.
