A grand sweep of history by the late Fernand Braudel-one of the
twentieth century's most influential historians-Memory and the
Mediterranean chronicles the Mediterranean's immeasurably rich past
during the foundational period from prehistory to classical antiquity,
illuminating nothing less than the bedrock of our civilization and the
very origins of Western culture.
Essential for historians, yet written explicitly for the general reader,
this magnificent account of the ebb and flow of cultures shaped by the
Mediterranean takes us from the great sea's geologic beginnings through
the ancient civilizations that flourished along its shores. Moving with
ease from Mesopotamia and Egypt to the flowering of Crete and the early
Aegean peoples, and culminating in the prodigious achievements of
ancient Greece and Rome, Braudel conveys in absorbing detail the
geography and climate of the region over the course of millennia while
brilliantly explaining the larger forces that gave rise to agriculture,
writing, sea travel, trade, and, ultimately, the emergence of empires.
Impressive in scope and gracefully written, Memory and the
Mediterranean is an endlessly enriching work of history by a legend in
the field.