The Mediterranean

The Mediterranean is a mostly tranquil sea, but its shores and trading routes have a history that is anything but peaceful. Bordering the three continents of Europe, Africa and Asia, the 'Great Sea' as the Bible calls it, is home to many people, languages and cultures. This region's vast and varied cultural legacy, which includes the alphabet devised by the Phoenicians, the philosophy and drama of the Greeks, the Roman mastery of civil engineering and the astronomical advances of the Egyptians, has played a fundamental role in the development of Western civilization. This lavishly illustrated book is divided into five sections - history and politics, culture, trade and technology, religion and geography. Featuring gripping stories of powerful empires, competing cultures and huge personalities, Michael Streeter shows how the glories of the Mediterranean's past have helped make Europe, and the World, what it is today and shows why this remarkable region can truly be called the cradle of European civilization.