Populated since the Palaeolithic, Sardinia has over 10,000 archaeological sites surveyed, which makes it the first place in the world for wealth of artefacts on the territory. Already in the Neolithic Age there were villages all over the island whose inhabitants were skilled manufacturers of ceramics, obsidian instruments, tools and statues dedicated to the cult of the Mother Goddess. Around 3,000 B.C., the first Megalithic funerary sites began to appear, as evidenced by the numerous discoveries of Menhir, Dolmen, circle tombs and the hypogeic tombs called Domus de Janas, that is “fairy houses”, dug into the rock and with walls painted with red ochre.

In the last part of the Neolithic (ca. 2.700 / 1800 B.C.) there are evident traces in the island of the passage of peoples arrived by sea from the continent, evidence of these contacts is also the spread of the first weapons of defence.
The evolution of the megalithic civilization and the continuous progression of skills gave life to the Nuragic civilization that developed only in Sardinia from 1,800 BC, and lasted until the advent of the Romans in the second century AD. This civilisation is rooted and lasting because of the construction of thousands of Nuraghi, Giant tombs, the sacred temples dedicated to the worship of water in addition to the statues of the Giants of Mont’e Prama, the bronzes and artefacts of various kinds.

While the Nuragic civilization prospered over the centuries and spread throughout the island in communities of farmers and shepherds, around 1,000 BC the first Phoenicians arrived; they were peaceful merchants who soon began to settle on the island. The Phoenicians were responsible for the construction of real coastal cities, the spread of writing, new technologies and lifestyles.

The increasingly flourishing trade between Sardinia and the continent attracted the attention of the Carthaginians who began expeditions of conquest in the sixth century BC and in a short time (from the end of about 500 BC) the central southern part of Sardinia was under the control of Carthage. 
In 238 A.D. the Romans conquered control of the island and for a long time their coexistence with the local populations was marked by revolts and struggles. The domination of Rome continued until the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the arrival on the island of the Vandals who controlled it militarily until 534, when the Byzantines took over.

The Byzantine Empire dominated until the ninth century and at its decline the Sardinians divided the island into four adjudicates completely independent from each other and from the outside. The new political and administrative structure finally made Sardinia independent and the guide of the judged was modern and fair, foreseeing, for example, the allocation of some land to the common use of all the population belonging to the judged, a common good intended to cope with famine and natural disasters. However, with the passing of the years the presence of the Maritime Republics became stronger and stronger in the island and the thirst for conquest did not delay to have its effects. In the XIII century three of the adjudicates had passed under the control of Genevese or Pisano and only the Adjudicate of d’Arborea was still independent. At the head of this judgment was a modern woman, far-sighted and of great culture, the Judge Eleonora of Arborea, who promulgated a new civil and administrative code: the “Carta de Logu”. The code remained in force until 1827 and is still remembered today for its modern articles protecting the rights of individuals. 
While the adjudicate of Arborea tried to resist, the Genoese and Pisan Lordships controlled and administered many municipalities, but Sardinia was threatened with conquest by the Crown of Aragon.

The island was conquered piece by piece by the Spaniards who occupied it completely and dominated it until 1708. The period of Spanish domination was marked by continuous internal struggles and for the Sardinian people it was the worst in the history of the island. 
In 1708 the arrival of the troops of Charles of Austria interrupted the Spanish domination and, following international agreements, in 1720 the island became the Kingdom of Sardinia under the crown of Victor Amadeus II, Duke of Savoy.

The domination of the Savoys did not bring substantial improvements to the life of the Sardinians who rose several times against the government but failed to achieve improvements.

In 1799 the Savoys escaped the threat of the French by moving from Piedmont to Sardinia but despite this the living conditions of the population did not improve. On the contrary, Casa Savoia began a massive exploitation of the territory by deforesting immense territories to obtain wood that they used for the construction of the railway network of the mainland and for the production of coal.
With the unification of Italy Sardinia also became part of the unified kingdom and once again suffered a new dominion with the exploitation of metal mines, higher and higher taxes as well as the compulsory leverage. Precisely in this period, because of the deprivations and the harsh repression by the military of the kingdom, appeared the first popular uprisings for the claim of autonomy of the island for the recovery of traditions and the claim of their roots.

At the outbreak of the First World War Sardinia sees its men engaged in the front line and those killed in war will be many, many more than those of other regions. Despite this, at the end of the war the Sardinians were not granted any autonomy. Fascism will bring innovation and investment to the island but at the outbreak of World War II its strategic position will expose it to heavy and continuous bombing.

Contemporary history sees Sardinia as a region with a special status and Sardinian political groups committed to autonomy still largely to be achieved.