The Mediterranean in History - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1606060570 ISBN 13: 9781606060575

Publisher: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2011

Synopsis

In this richly illustrated volume, eight distinguished historians explore the facts, themes, and epochs of the history of the “Great Sea”: the physical setting; the rivalry between Carthaginians, Greeks, and Etruscans for control of sea routes; unification under Rome and the subsequent break up into Western Christendom, Byzantium, and Islam; the Crusades; commerce in medieval times; the Ottoman resurgence; the rivalry of European powers from the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries; and the globalization of the region in the last century.

The book departs from the traditional view of Mediterranean history with its emphasis on the influences of physical geography. Instead it regards physical context as a staging ground for decisive action with, at center stage, human catalysts at all levels of society—from great kings and emperors to the sailors of medieval Amalfi to the Sephardic Jews who were expelled from Spain in 1492. The authors describe how these groups interacted with one another across the sea, enjoying commercial and political ties as well as sharing ideas and religious beliefs.

About this title

About the Author:

David Abulafia is professor of Mediterranean History at the University of Cambridge.

From Booklist:

This is a lushly illustrated, sweeping overview of the Mediterranean region by eight historians. Each writes about a specific period, but all describe the sea as the most important feature of the area, where the beguilingly varied cultures have lined the coasts, appearing and vanishing over the centuries, and have traded and warred with each other. Except for Egyptian civilization, self-contained and usually safe in the Nile Valley, the Mediterranean presented both danger and opportunity--the fact that the Romans were the only ones to ever unify it shows how susceptible it has been to shifts in power, especially naval power, which is presented as a history-making factor in every writer's essay, as is another historical constant: the geographical and climatic environment. Within these structures, the authors depict the daily workings of commerce and the conflicts of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, their observations always accentuated by photographs and drawings. A lovely production that will whet both eye and mind. REVWR
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About this edition

• Publisher: J. Paul Getty Museum
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1606060570
• ISBN 13: 9781606060575
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320
• Editor: Abulafia David