The Middle Sea: A History of the Mediterranean (Vintage)

This lively, beautifully illustrated history of the civilizations that rose and fell on the lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea represents the culmination of a great historian’s unparalleled art, eye, and scholarship.John Julius Norwich is renowned for his magisterial histories, including the two-volume A History of Venice and the three-volume Byzantium. The Middle Sea showcases the qualities that have made him one of the most respected and popular historians of our day: witty prose, scrupulous research, and an unerring ability to bring to life the dramatic event, the colorful character, and the telling detail. Norwich traverses five thousand years of history, tracing the growth of culture, trade, political alliances and enmities, and religious movements from the Phoenician civilization to present-day Mediterranean nations. In a vivid, fully accessible narrative, he recounts the achievements of the Phoenicians, those great sea traders who carried not just goods but also knowledge to Europe and parts of Asia, the glories of ancient Egypt, the extraordinary contributions of the Greeks, and the rise of the mighty Romans. The twin stories of Byzantium and Islam, the dominant forces after the fall of Rome, crescendo in the incredible saga of the Fourth Crusade and carry readers to the reemergence of a vibrant Europe. From the far-reaching developments in medieval France to the Renaissance wars in Italy to the triumph of Isabella’s Spain, Norwich provides a brilliant portrait of the intermingling of ancient conflicts and modern sensibilities that shape life today on the shores of the Middle Sea.

this Lively And Dramatic Book Brings Roaring To Life The Grand Sweep Of 5,000 Years Of History In The Cradle Of Civilization.

a Wonderfullyillustrated Account Of The Civilizations That Rose And Fell On The Lands Bordering The Mediterranean, the Middle Sea Represents The Culmination Of A Great Historian’s Unparalleled Art And Scholarship. John Julius Norwich Provides Brilliant Portraits Of The Phoenicians, The Egyptians, The Greeks, The Romans, The Byzantines, The Arabs, The French, The Venetians, The Popes, And The Pirates Of The Gulf. Above All, He Deftly Traces The Intermingling Of Ancient Conflicts And Modern Sensibilities That Shapes Life Today On The Shores Of The Middle Sea.

the New Yorker

in His Latest Sweeping History, The Author Of “byzantium” Considers The “political Fortunes” Of The Lands Of The Mediterranean From The Age Of Ancient Greece To The First World War. Taking As A Starting Point The Region’s Unique Geography, Which Seems To Have Been “deliberately Designed” As A “cradle Of Cultures,” He Focusses On The Rise And Fall Of Civilizations Through Battles And Their Heroes, Paying Particular Attention To The Christian And Muslim Struggle For Dominance. At Times, The Geographical Framework Feels Arbitrary. The Mediterranean’s Bearing On The Countries Around It Was Not Always As Manifest As During Antiquity; From 200 b.c. To 200 a.d., There Was A Higher Density Of Commercial Traffic Than At Any Time In The Following Millennium. There Are Also Some Egregious Omissions: Art, Social, And Intellectual History Are Essentially Passed Over. But Norwich’s Focus Plays To His Strengths As A Military Historian, And He Produces, Over Six Hundred Pages, A Highly Readable Chronicle.

A one-volume narrative history of the Mediterranean from Ancient Egypt to 1919. Written in the racy, readable prose for which author Norwich is famous, this is colorful, character-driven history. He tackles a vast subject--vast in time, from the oldest surviving pyramid to the First World War; vast in geography, from Gibraltar to Jerusalem; and vast in culture, including as it does the civilizations of the Phoenicians, the Egyptians, Greece, Carthage, Rome and Byzantium, the Borgias and the Medicis, Muhammad and El Cid, Napoleon and Nelson, Moslems, Jews and Christians. This book is not a dry record of facts; it is a rackety read about historical figures--dissolute popes and wily emperors, noble-hearted generals and beautiful princesses. Towns are besieged and sacked, kingdoms won and lost. The narrative covers the glories of Constantinople and Venice, and the stirring history of the islands of Malta, Sicily, Crete and Cyprus.--From publisher description. Overview This lively and dramatic book brings roaring to life the grand sweep of 5,000 years of history in the cradle of civilization. A wonderfullyillustrated account of the civilizations that rose and fell on the lands bordering the Mediterranean, The Middle Sea represents the culmination of a great historian's unparalleled art and scholarship. John Julius Norwich provides brilliant portraits of the Phoenicians, the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Arabs, the French, the Venetians, the Popes, and the pirates of the Gulf. Above all, he deftly traces the intermingling of ancient conflicts and modern sensibilities that shapes life today on the shores of the Middle Sea This lively and dramatic book brings roaring to life the grand sweep of 5,000 years of history in the cradle of civilization.A wonderfully illustrated account of the civilizations that rose and fell on the lands bordering the Mediterranean, The Middle Sea represents the culmination of a great historian’s unparalleled art and scholarship. John Julius Norwich provides brilliant portraits of the Phoenicians, the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Arabs, the French, the Venetians, the Popes, and the pirates of the Gulf. Above all, he deftly traces the intermingling of ancient conflicts and modern sensibilities that shapes life today on the shores of the Middle Sea. Chronicles the growth of culture, commerce, political alliances and religious movements throughout the Mediterranean world, ranging from the wonders of ancient Egypt, to the rise of Islam, to the Renaissance, and to the tumultuous events at the beginning of the twentieth century.