The Mediterranean is the oldest sea on Earth, and one of the most celebrated homes and battlegrounds in the history of human civilization. Over nearly 4,000 years, the ancient peoples of Europe created the glorious Mediterranean civilization.
The rulers of great empires such as Egypt, Babylon, Greece, and Rome created countless immortal legends for the world. Meanwhile, the conflicts and exchanges between the Indo-Europeans on the northern shores of the Mediterranean and the Semitic peoples on its southern shores laid the foundations for the development of Western civilization.
After the fall of Rome, Western Europe entered a dark age of cultural desolation and material poverty. Humanity would wait a full 1,400 years for Western civilization to flourish again.
The development of civilization is a long journey. Whether flourishing or declining, each stage is a force that drives humanity forward.
Yet the decline of Western civilization during the Dark Ages was not a step backward for human civilization. Amid intellectual and material stagnation, it was simply preparing the ground for a new beginning.
To learn more, read The Decline of the Mediterranean, written by J. H. Breasted.
This book is great! The author, Brested, is extremely knowledgeable and tells the story of the decline of the Mediterranean and its impact on Western civilization. I especially like his interpretation of history, which gives me a deeper understanding of the development of human civilization. This book is rich in content and the language is concise and clear, just like an old friend chatting with me. Highly recommended!
The world map marked by the scale of 2000 shows the Mediterranean coast is colorful and gorgeous. The cradle of human civilization, let us go back to the past and feel the moment when the stars shined.