The manual is dedicated to the island civilizations of the Central Mediterranean in the era preceding Greek colonization, when their history did not come close to the historical destinies of the Apennine Peninsula, to which they geographically adjoin, and represented a significant originality. Both historical tradition and new archaeological material are investigated, which makes it possible to more objectively assess the literary tradition, on the one hand, and penetrate into areas that are not covered by tradition, on the other.