- Paperback: 608 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; New edition edition (26 Oct 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0141390336
- ISBN-13: 978-0141390338
- Product Dimensions: 21.4 x 13.6 x 5 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 594,511 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Product Description
For thousands of years people have sailed, traded, and fought across the waters of the Mediterranean. On its shores and islands they have built cities, colonised, dreamed, conquered and fallen. This sea, which brings together three continents, was the cradle of western civilisation. Ernle Bradford spent almost 30 years sailing into nearly every corner of the Mediterranean and here he tells its fascinating story. Once it was realised that the sea could be a link rather than a barrier, discovery was possible and he follows the explorations of the Egyptians, the Cretans, the Phoenicians, the Greeks and others. The Mediterranean became a Roman and Byzantine sea until displaced by the Arab and Turkish conquests which reached their apogee with the great siege of Malta in 1565; by the 18th century Europe again dominated, with France and England in contention for sovereignty. The author continues his story through the grand sweep of historic events including the Napoleonic wars, the building of the Suez Canal and on to two World Wars ending with the peace of 1945. Into his account of the history of the region, the author weaves a wealth of detail: of flora and fauna, trade and commerce, society and religion, war and peace. The result is a portrait of an enormously vibrant region and its people.
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2 reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
An excellent book
9 Dec 2003
Format:Paperback
This book is exactly what it claims to be - a portrait. It does not claim to be comprehensive. Being from Malta I am very interested in the history of the mediterranean. I found that this book gave an excellent overview of all the major events that took place in this fascinating sea. This book (and all the books by Ernle Bradford for that matter) provides those that are intersted in the history, but not in being bogged down in details, with an enjoyable and (in my opinion) quite accurate picture of what took place. Furthermore, Ernle Bradford knew the mediterranean better than most library historians for he spent 30 years of his life sailing in this sea. He Paints a lively and entralling portrait of the mediterranean. Highly recommended.
4 of 7 people found the following review helpful
this is arguably a great book
26 Oct 2000
Format:Paperback
i cant believe i am the first - were i not i may not have bothered - but this is arguably a great book so i must, and am told, regarded as a classic my yachties in the med
this man is scorned by historians (does dorky things like quote encyclopaedias?) & his style can be amateurish, but hey - rarely dull
great choice of subject - a/ the med is the hub of most history & b/ the bridge between east & west so he can wander off in either direction - whatever is interesting - his passion tho is naval technology - which is fine as it was the determiner of power.
so - read all about it - the suez canal of 500bc, the phoenicians rounding the cape of good hope in 500bc, the greatest scammer of all time - the doge of venice at 80 (he went along) conned the crusaders into sacking a fellow christian city - the greatest prize ever - constantinople - for a few crumbs - and got a nice bribe from the mayor of alexandria as well for diverting them from this original target
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