French Book - THE MEDITERRANEAN WORLD 15,000 YEARS OF HISTORY

USPA NEWS - - "Le Monde Méditerranéen 15,000 d'Histoire" (Mediterranean World 15,000 Years Of History) by Alain Blondy and Published in FRANCE by Perrin Editions. Follows my Review.

The Mediterranean now represents the Cross-Roads of Western Humanity, with Layer upon Layer of Different Cultures ; for example you will find Roman Cities all over the Mediterranean, Greek Cities in Sicily, the Arabs in Spain, Islam in Yugoslavia, making a fascinating Mixture that will enthral the Sailor-Tourist on his Travels around the Mediterranean...

- "Le Monde Méditerranéen 15,000 d'Histoire" (Mediterranean World 15,000 Years Of History) by Alain Blondy and Published in FRANCE by Perrin Editions. Follows my Review.

The Mediterranean now represents the Cross-Roads of Western Humanity, with Layer upon Layer of Different Cultures ; for example you will find Roman Cities all over the Mediterranean, Greek Cities in Sicily, the Arabs in Spain, Islam in Yugoslavia, making a fascinating Mixture that will enthral the Sailor-Tourist on his Travels around the Mediterranean.

Many Peoples flourished around the Mediterranean in the Niches that they found with an Abundant Water supply, Fertile Grounds and preferably with a Natural Hill-Top Conformation to give them a certain Degree of Security from External Attacks. Where the Conditions were more favourable, the Settlements developed into Civilisations, which grew and extended their Influence and Power much further afield, according to the Ambitions of the Current Leaders, so as to even create Empires. Many such Civilisations developed along the Shores of the Mediterranean.

Because of the various intermingling of the races, through migrations, dominations, rape and seduction, we all have to a varying degree, chromosomes from each of these successive peoples and we have been influenced by their thoughts, by their art and by their religions. Egyptians flourished under their Constant Supply of Food and their Civilisation grew and prospered and developed into one of the most Long-Lasting Civilisations of the Mediterranean, for fully 3000 years, commencing 5000 years ago. The City-State Civilisations that developed in Mesopotamia, were the Sumerians (their capital Ur), the Babylonians (Babylon) and the Assirians (Nineveh). They invented a Cuneiform Type of Writing on Clay Tablets and prospered from 3000 BC, to 550 BC. Their Dedication to Astronomy gave us the present Names of the Days of the Week. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Successively, the nearby Persians in Central Iran, from their capital Persepolis, began to spread their Influence to the whole Area. With their abundant Wares and Foods, the Persians commerced both down-river towards the Indian Ocean and across the Desert to the Shores of the Mediterranean, where they encountered the Phoenicians. They ruled an Empire including all of Mesopotamia, Syria, Egypt and parts of Asia Minor and even attacked the Greeks...

The Phoenicians were Peaceful Traders, interested only in building up their commerce and founded many Colonies in the then “Far West“, in Cyprus, Rhodes and in the Aegean Islands. Sailing further they founded Tharros and Nora in Sardinia, Tashish, a great Commercial Colony on the Coast of Spain, and of course the City that was to become the Capital of all the Colonies, Carthage, in Present Day Tunisia, which was in the exact centre of the Mediterranean....

The Greeks´ Achievements in War, Colonisation, Sport, Democracy (see Pericles), Architecture, Sculpture (Phidias, Polykleitos, Lysippos, Praxiteles), Mythology, Astronomy, Geography (Ptolemy), Theatre (Sophocles, Aeschylus), Philosophy (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Parmenides) and Mathematics (Euchlid, Archimedes, Pythagoras), are well renowned and their Writings substantially form the Basis of all modern Western Thought. The Roman Empire controlled all the Shores of the Mediterranean, stretched north to England and up to the Rhine River in Germany and East to Hungary, including Rumania, Turkey and all the Near East. The Splendour of the Roman Empire lasted several centuries, until around 400 AD...

The Mediterranean has since witnessed Innumerable Turmoils, caused principally by the Greed for Riches and by the Ambition for Power of certain Mediterranean Leaders. Many Empires came and went, some created by the Sword, others by Trade. Piracy, Rape and Plunder continued on the isolated Coastal Areas right up to the Last Century. Gibraltar represents one of the last British Strongholds in the Mediterranean, which England is very reluctant to relinquish; the same with Spain and its stronghold Ceuta, on the Moroccan side. The History of the Mediterranean is still being written today, as we are living right now the new Changes in the Balkans, in Palestine, the Elimination of barriers between the European Countries and the Dramatic Migrations from the Poorer Countries to the Wealthier Ones....

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