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MAURO SPANU / ALAMY

WARRIOR HOMELAND. During the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550–1100 BCE), warriors from across the Mediterranean world routinely sold their services to fight in the armies of competing empires and kingdoms. Among the best documented of these mercenaries are the Shardanu, whose name suggests they likely originated from the island of Sardinia in the central Mediterranean. There, archaeologists have uncovered vestiges of a vibrant Bronze Age culture, including the monumental remains of megalithic villages defended by massive stone towers (known locally as nuraghi), as seen here at the site of Nuraghe Losa in western Sardinia.