Produzioni, merci e scambi tra isole e terraferma nel Mediterraneo occidentale tardoantico

The relationship between islands and mainland, revealed by agrarian and artisan productions, trade routes and transport- ed goods, represents a problematic topic that needs to be insert- ed within a more general context for the Late Antique Western Mediterranean. Primarily, a methodological consideration is required. Conclusions relevant to a generalizing picture can be drawn exclusively through a global archaeology approach with its own peculiar interdisciplinary perspective. Sicily and Sar- dinia show common traits in their respective agrarian setting for Late Antiquity, but also differences possibly caused by their different historical developments. The landscapes are nonethe- less characterized by large properties with an elevate productiv- ity and an articulated settlement network, which prosperity is related to a trade lively but in transformation, not strictly justi- fied by the demands of the Annona. In this picture the Church plays a determining role regarding, both productive and arti- sanal activities, and trades. It is also clear how, in the conti- nuity of the Mediterranean trade routes, as testified by many shipwrecks and written sources, the Mediterranean islands, not only Sicily and Sardinia but also minor islands, assumed a fundamental role in moving differentiated goods often produced in the same islands.