Sardinia is the second largest island in the Mediterranean, slightly smaller than Sicily but with a longer coastline. In contrast to Sicily's obvious 'crossroads' position, the recent debate on the relative 'isolation' of Sardinia is analyzed in Robert Rowland's fascinating and accessible 'archaeological history' of the island, spanning the Prehistoric era of dolmens, menhirs and the Nuragic Civilization, to later Medieval times and Pope Boniface's creation of the joint Kingdom of Sardinia and Corsica in 1297. Chapter 1 includes a detailed island setting, and a feature of each chapter is the author's use of paragraph keyword-headings throughout for quick references.