Mare Nostrum: A Short History of the Ancient Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean sea has a history and impact on human civilization perhaps unrivalled among any water-way in the world. "Our Sea" (mare nostrum), as the Romans called it, connected a diversity of cultures and laid the groundwork for the world we know today. From trade to wars to religions, the Mediterranean Sea is at the heart of the story of who we are and the world we live in. This short course will trace a history of it through ancient times, beginning in the Stone Age and completing in the Medieval Period, to celebrate the impact and influence of this most great of seas in the course of Western Civilization.