Book contents
- The Cambridge World HistoryVolume IV
- The Cambridge World History
- A World with States, Empires, and Networks, 1200 bce–900 ce
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Tables
- Contributors
- Preface
- 1Introduction: the world from 1200 bce to 900 ce
- Part IGlobal histories
- Part IITrans-regional and regional perspectives
- 10Western and Central Eurasia
- 11Regional study: Baktria – the crossroads of ancient Eurasia
- 12The Mediterranean
- 13Regional study: Athens in the fifth century bce
- 14Late antiquity in Europe c. 300–900 ce
- 15East Asia
- 16Regional study: Confucianism and the state
- 17Regional study: exchanges within the Silk Roads world system
- 18South Asia
- 19Regional study: Pataliputra
- 20The Americas
- 21Regional study: Chaco Canyon and the US Southwest
- 22Australasia and the Pacific
- 23Africa: states, empires, and connections
- 24Regional study: trans-Saharan trade
- Index
- References
12 - The Mediterranean
from Part II - Trans-regional and regional perspectives
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 May 2015
Book contents
- The Cambridge World HistoryVolume IV
- The Cambridge World History
- A World with States, Empires, and Networks, 1200 bce–900 ce
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Tables
- Contributors
- Preface
- 1Introduction: the world from 1200 bce to 900 ce
- Part IGlobal histories
- Part IITrans-regional and regional perspectives
- 10Western and Central Eurasia
- 11Regional study: Baktria – the crossroads of ancient Eurasia
- 12The Mediterranean
- 13Regional study: Athens in the fifth century bce
- 14Late antiquity in Europe c. 300–900 ce
- 15East Asia
- 16Regional study: Confucianism and the state
- 17Regional study: exchanges within the Silk Roads world system
- 18South Asia
- 19Regional study: Pataliputra
- 20The Americas
- 21Regional study: Chaco Canyon and the US Southwest
- 22Australasia and the Pacific
- 23Africa: states, empires, and connections
- 24Regional study: trans-Saharan trade
- Index
- References
Summary
The name Mediterranean is derived from Latin and means 'in the middle of the earth', a reference to the fact either that it is almost entirely surrounded by land or that it was deemed to be at the center of the known world by ancient West Afro-Eurasian societies. The fall of the Western Roman Empire shapes the way in which Western history is periodized, as it marks the end of the classical era. The cultural influence of the Assyrians and Egyptians, particularly the Hebrews, Phoenicians, Minoans, and Mycenaeans, who occupied the coasts and islands of the Eastern Mediterranean, was substantial. Within both large political structures, such as the Hellenistic and Roman empires, and smaller cultures and states that did not evolve into large-scale empires, such as those of the Hebrews, Phoenicians, Minoans, and Mycenaeans, expansion invariably led to the emergence of more complex social structures, which explicitly situated various groups, including women and slaves, into more sharply delineated hierarchical structures.
Keywords
Information
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge World History , pp. 325 - 349Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2015
References
Further Reading
Abulafia, David, The Great Sea: A Human History of the Mediterranean, New York: Oxford University Press, 2011.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Aubet, Maria Eugenia, The Phoenicians and the West: Politics, Colonies, and Trade, 2nd edn., Cambridge University Press, 2001.Google Scholar
Boardman, John, The Greeks Overseas: Their Early Colonies and Trade, 4th edn., London: Thames and Hudson, 1999.Google Scholar
Bradley, Keith, Slavery and Society at Rome, Cambridge University Press, 1994.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Broodbank, Cyprian, The Making of the Middle Sea: A History of the Mediterranean from the Beginning to the Emergence of the Classical World, Oxford University Press, 2013.Google Scholar
Burnard, Trevor and Heuman, Gad (eds.), The Routledge History of Slavery, Oxford and New York: Routledge, 2011.Google Scholar
Cartledge, Paul. The Spartans: The World of the Warrior Heroes of Ancient Greece, New York: Vintage, 2002.Google Scholar
Clark, Gillian. Christianity and Roman Society, Cambridge University Press, 2004.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cornell, T. J., The Beginnings of Rome. Italy and Rome from the Bronze Age to the Punic Wars, London: Taylor and Francis Group, 1995.Google Scholar
Davies, John K., Wealth and the Power of Wealth in Classical Athens, Salem, nh: The Ayer Company, 1984.Google Scholar
Dillon, Sheila, and James, Sharon L. (eds.), A Companion to Women in the Ancient World, Malden, ma: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012.Google Scholar
Errington, R. Malcolm, A History of the Hellenistic World 323 – 30 bc, Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2008.Google Scholar
Erskine, Andrew (ed.), A Companion to the Hellenistic World, Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2006.Google Scholar
Fisher, N. R. E., Slavery in Classical Greece, ed. Gunningham, Michael, London: Duckworth, Bristol Classical Press, 1993.Google Scholar
Garnsey, Peter, Famine and Food Supply in the Greco-Roman World, Cambridge University Press, 1988.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goldenberg, Robert, The Origins of Judaism: From Canaan to the Rise of Islam, Cambridge University Press, 2007.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Horden, Peregrin, and Purcell, Nicholas, The Corrupting Sea: A Study of Mediterranean History, Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2000.Google Scholar
Oleson, John Peter (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Engineering and Technology in the Classical World, Oxford University Press, 2008.Google Scholar
Pomeroy, Sarah B., Families in Classical and Hellenistic Greece: Representations and Realities, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1997.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Powell, Anton, Athens and Sparta: Constructing Greek Political and Social History from 478 bc, New York: Routledge, 2001.Google Scholar
Rhodes, P. J., A History of the Classical Greek World 478–323 bc, Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2009.Google Scholar
Scheidel, Walter, Morris, Ian, and Saller, Robert (eds.), The Cambridge Economic History of the Greco-Roman World, Cambridge University Press, 2007.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van de Mieroop, Marc. A History of the Ancient Near East, 3000–332 bce, 2nd edn., Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2010.Google Scholar
Young, G. K., Rome’s Eastern Trade: International Commerce and Imperial Policy, 31 bc – ad 305, London: Routledge, 2001.Google Scholar
Accessibility standard: Unknown
Why this information is here
This section outlines the accessibility features of this content - including support for screen readers, full keyboard navigation and high-contrast display options. This may not be relevant for you.Accessibility Information
Accessibility compliance for the HTML of this chapter is currently unknown and may be updated in the future.