Europe and the sea
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Europe and the sea
（The making of Europe）
Blackwell, 1993
- Other Title
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Europe et la mer
Available at 57 libraries
Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. 241-247) and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
Seen from a satellite, Europe is a tiny peninsula hemmed in by seas. In this account, Michel Mollat examines the many ways in which Europe's proximity to the sea has affected and continues to affect its history. Ranging from ancient Greece to the present, the author traces the history of the maritime nations and their interactions, and the gradual exploration, understanding and exploitation of the entire world. He also considers the way in which dominance of the great sea lanes, first by Spain, then by Holland, and then for more than two centuries by Great Britain, materially affected the fortunes of those countries. The author describes the development and distinctive characteristics of the great European ports, the great sea battles by which European differences were frequently resolved, and the centuries-long connivance with and struggle against pirates and piracy.
The author concludes with a series of portraits of those who depend on the sea for their livelihoods, from the salters and fishermen, to the in-shore and long-distance navigators, as well as of the artistic communities which have so frequently chosen the coast to develop characteristic appreciations of the natural world. This is a book which should appeal to historians and geographers, and to all those interested in maritime history.
Table of Contents
- Part 1 Europe and the sea in time and space: like a puzzle
- Mediterranean primacy
- the ocean comes onto the stage
- convergences
- encounters and sharing - the genesis of a Europe of merchants
- the framework bursts apart - Europe present on all the seas. Part 2 Europe and the sea in human societies: earning a living from the sea
- the European community of seamen
- familiar images
- a cultural dimension - seeing, feeling and understanding the sea.
by "Nielsen BookData"