Le relazioni tra la Sardegna e la Penisola Iberica tra il Bronzo Finale e la prima età del Ferro attraverso le testimonianze archeologiche (secoli XII - VII a. C.)

The thesis titled “Le relazioni tra la Sardegna e la Penisola Iberica tra il Bronzo Finale e la prima età del Ferro attraverso le testimonianze archeologiche (secoli XII–VII a.C.)” fits within the broader framework of Protohistoric Mediterranean navigation and contacts, with particular reference to the island of Sardinia and the Iberian Peninsula. It seeks to reconstruct the relationships that developed between these two areas during the Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age, based on material evidence—mainly Iberian bronzes found in Sardinia and Sardinian ceramics discovered in the Iberian Peninsula. These materials demonstrate the existence of contacts and relations from the 11th–10th centuries BC to the 8th–7th centuries BC, highlighting the presence of Sardinians in the Iberian Peninsula. The distribution of the finds made it possible to trace the routes through which these objects circulated, while their association with goods of other origins allowed the identification of the main actors involved in these interactions—not only Sardinians and Iberians, but also more complex, multi-ethnic groups that changed over time, including Aegeans, Cypriots, Levantines, Phoenicians, Greeks, and others. These contacts were primarily aimed at acquiring mineral resources in the southern Iberian Peninsula, especially tin and copper. From the same area, Iberian bronze artefacts—or rather their prototypes—were exported to Sardinia, where they were soon locally reproduced. In exchange, luxury goods from the eastern Mediterranean and wine from Sardinia may have reached the western regions. The relations between Sardinia and the Iberian Peninsula thus fit into a broader framework of Mediterranean exchange networks, organised through multi-ethnic groups of seafarers and traders dealing in metals and prestige goods.