Spectral Sea

Mediterranean Palimpsests in European Culture

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Foreign Languages, Greek (Modern), Italian, Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Ancient & Classical
Cover of the book Spectral Sea by , Peter Lang
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: ISBN: 9781433143151
Publisher: Peter Lang Publication: October 2, 2017
Imprint: Peter Lang Inc., International Academic Publishers Language: English
Author:
ISBN: 9781433143151
Publisher: Peter Lang
Publication: October 2, 2017
Imprint: Peter Lang Inc., International Academic Publishers
Language: English

From the dawn of ancient civilization to modern times, the Mediterranean Sea looms in the imagination of the people living on its shores as a space of myth and adventure, of conquest and confrontation, of migration and settlement, of religious ferment and conflict. Since its waters linked the earliest empires and centers of civilization, the Mediterranean generated globalization and multiculturalism. It gave birth to the three great monotheisms—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—religions of the book, of the land and of the sea. Over the centuries, the Mediterranean witnessed the rise and fall of some of the oldest civilizations in the world. And as these cultures succeeded one another, century after century, each left a tantalizing imprint on later societies. Like the ancient artifacts constantly washed up from its depths, the lost cities and monuments abandoned in its deserts or sunk beneath its waves, Mediterranean topography and culture is a chaotic present spread over a palimpsest many layers deep.

No region grappled more continuously with, nor was more deeply marked by Mediterranean culture and history than Europe. Europe’s religions, its languages, its learning, its laws, its sense of history, even its food and agriculture, all derived from Greek, Roman, and—in the Middle Ages—Muslim and Jewish cultures. The essays in this book lay bare the dynamics of cultural confrontation between Europe and the Mediterranean world from medieval to modern times. One momentous result of this engagement was the creation of vernacular languages and the diverse body of literature, history, and art arising from them. The achievements of the arts reveal—to borrow a geological metaphor—the grinding tectonic pates of Mediterranean cultures and languages butting up against pre-existing European strata.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

From the dawn of ancient civilization to modern times, the Mediterranean Sea looms in the imagination of the people living on its shores as a space of myth and adventure, of conquest and confrontation, of migration and settlement, of religious ferment and conflict. Since its waters linked the earliest empires and centers of civilization, the Mediterranean generated globalization and multiculturalism. It gave birth to the three great monotheisms—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—religions of the book, of the land and of the sea. Over the centuries, the Mediterranean witnessed the rise and fall of some of the oldest civilizations in the world. And as these cultures succeeded one another, century after century, each left a tantalizing imprint on later societies. Like the ancient artifacts constantly washed up from its depths, the lost cities and monuments abandoned in its deserts or sunk beneath its waves, Mediterranean topography and culture is a chaotic present spread over a palimpsest many layers deep.

No region grappled more continuously with, nor was more deeply marked by Mediterranean culture and history than Europe. Europe’s religions, its languages, its learning, its laws, its sense of history, even its food and agriculture, all derived from Greek, Roman, and—in the Middle Ages—Muslim and Jewish cultures. The essays in this book lay bare the dynamics of cultural confrontation between Europe and the Mediterranean world from medieval to modern times. One momentous result of this engagement was the creation of vernacular languages and the diverse body of literature, history, and art arising from them. The achievements of the arts reveal—to borrow a geological metaphor—the grinding tectonic pates of Mediterranean cultures and languages butting up against pre-existing European strata.

More books from Peter Lang

Cover of the book Lœuvre musicale, entre orchestre et école by
Cover of the book Streitbeilegung im Rahmen des Kyoto-Protokolls und der Flexiblen Mechanismen by
Cover of the book Disrupted Idylls by
Cover of the book BERGeLEBEN by
Cover of the book Servants, Masters, and the Coercion of Labor by
Cover of the book Interdisziplinaeres Kolloquium zur Geschlechterforschung II by
Cover of the book Die Umsetzung aufsichtsrechtlicher Anforderungen an Verguetungssysteme in Instituten und Versicherungsunternehmen aus Sicht des Arbeits- und Dienstvertragsrechts by
Cover of the book Analysing English as a Lingua Franca in Video Games by
Cover of the book Electric Worlds / Mondes électriques by
Cover of the book The Critical Graduate Experience by
Cover of the book Literatur im sozialen Prozess des langen 19. Jahrhunderts by
Cover of the book Textile Messages by
Cover of the book Die Urabstimmung im britischen Arbeitskampfrecht im Licht der EMRK by
Cover of the book A New Literacies Reader by
Cover of the book The Early Byzantine Christian Church by
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy