Eastern Mediterranean
The eastern basin of the Mediterranean Sea and the lands bordering it, including parts of southeastern Europe, western Asia, and northeastern Africa.
Mediterranean Sea: An intercontinental sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the Strait of Gibraltar and bordered by Europe, Africa, and Asia. The eastern Mediterranean is the sea’s eastern basin.
Alexandria: A major Egyptian port city on the Mediterranean Sea, founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BCE. Its ancient library and harbor made it a major center of Hellenistic scholarship and trade.
Minoan civilization: A Bronze Age civilization centered on Crete, known for palace complexes such as Knossos. Minoan seafaring connected Crete to communities across the eastern Mediterranean.
Strait of Gibraltar: The narrow passage connecting the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean between Spain and Morocco. It is the western gateway through which eastern Mediterranean shipping reaches the Atlantic.
Spread of Christianity: The historical expansion of Christian communities from their origins in the Roman province of Judaea across the Roman Empire and beyond. The eastern Mediterranean was the early movement’s birthplace and first major network of cities.
Aegean Sea: An arm of the Mediterranean Sea between Greece and Anatolia, dotted with islands. Its islands and coasts form the northern maritime edge of the eastern basin.
Antioch: An ancient city near modern Antakya in Turkey, founded by Seleucus I in the late fourth century BCE. As a major Seleucid and Roman city, it linked inland Syria with Mediterranean routes.
Mycenaean Greece: A Bronze Age civilization centered on mainland Greece, known for fortified palaces and Linear B records. Mycenaean trade and warfare extended Greek influence into the Aegean and eastern basin.
Bosporus: A strait in Turkey connecting the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara. Together with the Dardanelles, it links the basin’s northern routes to the Black Sea.
Spread of Islam: The historical expansion of Islam from seventh-century Arabia across western Asia, North Africa, and other regions. Early Islamic rule united much of the basin’s southern and eastern shores.