{"product_id":"the-great-sea-a-human-history-of-the-mediterranean","title":"The Great Sea: A Human History of the Mediterranean","description":"\u003cp\u003eConnecting Europe  Asia  and Africa  the Mediterranean Sea has been for millennia the place where religions  economies  and political systems met  clashed  influenced and absorbed one another. In this brilliant and expansive book  David Abulafia offers a fresh perspective by focusing on the sea itself: its practical importance for transport and sustenance; its dynamic role in the rise and fall of empires; and the remarkable cast of characters-sailors  merchants  migrants  pirates  pilgrims-who have crossed and re-crossed it.  Ranging from prehistory to the 21st century  The Great Sea is above all a history of human interaction. Interweaving major political and naval developments with the ebb and flow of trade  Abulafia explores how commercial competition in the Mediterranean created both rivalries and partnerships  with merchants acting as intermediaries between cultures  trading goods that were as exotic on one side of the sea as they were commonplace on the other. He stresses the remarkable ability of Mediterranean cultures to uphold the civilizing ideal of convivencia  \"living together.\"  Now available in paperback  The Great Sea is the definitive account of perhaps the most vibrant theater of human interaction in history.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44984056184885,"sku":"ByrdShop_0195323343","price":43.1,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780195323344.jpg?v=1770820272","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-great-sea-a-human-history-of-the-mediterranean","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}