Gosner & Hayne/Local Experiences, 6. ‘The Missing link’? Sardinia, Corsica, and Italy

While recent scholarship has highlighted the multi-directional interactions and networks involving the various communities across the whole of the west Mediterranean during the Late Bronze (LBA) and Iron Ages (IA), some islands remain ambiguous players, often presented as disconnected. Two examples are Sardinia and Corsica, which, although geographically adjacent have very different (pre)histories. Sardinia played an active role in EIA exchanges with the Italian peninsula, while Corsica, despite being along the same route, has a less clear role. Taking a long-term approach, this chapter examines Corsica’s function in the exchanges via a ‘network thinking’ model. Focusing on the interactions between northern Sardinia, Corsica and the Italian peninsula it examines local connectivities through the LBA and EIA. It concludes that connections are not only dependent on geography but are also determined by a multitude of factors involving shifts in the social and economic situations of the different participants.