This volume forms a review of the maritime archaeology and topography of the Aeolian islands, located off Sicily at the centre of the south Tyrrhenian Sea, from the prehistoric to Roman period. The background to historical and archaeological surveys around the Aeolian islands is presented ahead of detailed discussions of ancient navigation and marine-meteorological conditions, as well as reviews of literary and archaeological evidence. New data on maritime topography including wrecks, cargoes, anchorages, ancient coast lines and sites relating to shipping, is also discussed. Although islands are often regarded as rather backward and, by definition, insular places, the concluding assessment of the evidence from the Neolithic to late Roman period, demonstrates the degree of extra-island contact, interaction and overall influence of other regions on these islands through increased trade and exchange.