The Mediterranean is a region unlike any other. The
derivation of the name comes from "medi," meaning "middle,"
and
"terra,"meaning earth. In ancient times it was considered to be
the centerof the known world. The Romans referred to it as "Mare
nostrum" or"our sea" even though their empire spread far
beyond
Mediterraneanshores. The northern coasts include the mainland and
multipleislands of southern Europe which merge to the east with
theLevantine coast of Asia. This includes of parts of Turkey,
Syria,Lebanon, and Israel. The east-west spread covers
approximately2,200 miles, but the north-south distance is
considerably shorter.The coast of northern Africa lies less than
500 miles south of Europe. With the great number of peninsulas
and islands used asstepping stones, travel in the Mediterranean
is not arduous, because distances are not excessive, and in most
cases much shorterthan the mileages above imply. Travelling by
ship through this region presents a visual feast of whitewashed
cube-shaped houses rising above the water's edge, especially in
the Greek islands.
From these lands have come some aspects of western culture
such as those embodied in the myths and democratic institutions
of ancient Greece. Later the Levantine region set the stage for
the rise and spread of monotheistic religions. Some visible forms
of culture are the impressive remnants of classical architecture,
sculpture, painting, and other art forms. Other disparate and
striking evidences of material culture are the ancient theaters
which gave rise to the dramatic arts, as well as the innovative
aqueducts, windmills, and water wheels designed to cope with the
difficulties of a rainfall deficient climate. Such landscapes
testify not only to the ingenuity of the inhabitants, but to the
longevity of their settlements.
The striking combination of sun, sky, sea, and sand has
attracted writers, artists, and untold numbers of pilgrims and
other travellers to the Mediterranean for centuries. This is well
documented by a large number of eyewitness accounts, not only
from the distant past, but from those who made the Grand Tour,
like Goethe, Boswell, Henry James, Edith Wharton, Mark Twain
among others. In our time, both the fiction and non-fiction of
the late Lawrence Durrell has been described as being soaked in
the wine and drenched with the olive oil of the Mediterranean.
The beauty of the landscape and the attractions of the
climate are largely due to the region's situation between
sub-tropical desert latitudes to the south and cooler mid
latitude lands to the north. Mountains throughout the
three-continent region confine this climate to a narrow coastal
strip so that its total area is not large. Hill towns and rocky
coasts abound. Unique in its seasonality, winters are basically
mild and wet for a few short months, while summers are long,
quite warm, and relatively cloudless. The transition seasons,
while not technically termed spring and fall are a sheer delight
for the traveller and artists revel in the quality of the light.
Unfortunately for the farmer, this climate is fraught with
problems. There is no rain during what is normally the most
important part of any growing season--that of high sun. But
adaptations in the agricultural realm have given rise to the
triad of olives, grapes, and wheat grown throughout the region
because they can withstand long periods of drought. The landscape
is also filled with orchards producing a wide variety of fruits
such as figs, citrus, plums, dates as well as almonds, hazelnuts
and other drought-resistant tree crops.
Much of the weather is controlled in the warmer half year by
the desiccating winds coming out of the Sahara and variously
termed the sirocco or the khamsin. Cold north winds of winter
such as the mistral, sweep through the south of France, and the
bora brings blustery weather and low temperatures to the lands
along the Adriatic. The Greeks and Romans named and recognized
over eight different winds which affected the weather and named
them according to wind speed, temperature, humidity, source
and/or season. The elegant octagonal Tower of the Winds found in
the Roman Agora of Athens illustrates this with eight different
figures in bas relief along the top. One is the lightly clad
Zephyr strewing flowers symbolizing the west wind.
In the Odyssey, perhaps the greatest travel classic ever
written, Homer describes the agriculture of that early period
when Odysseus arrives at the land of Alcinous--which could
actually be any number of places in the Mediterranean today. We
read, "...trees in bloom or weighted down for picking, the sweet
fig and the luxuriant olive, ripe and dark. Their fruit never
fails nor runs short, winter and summer alike...there is never a
time when the West Wind's breath is not assisting, here the bud,
and here the ripening fruit... cluster on cluster of grapes, and
fig upon fig are always coming to perfection...there is a
fruitful vineyard...where some of the grapes are drying in the
sun, while others are gathered or being trodden..."
Both a symbolic and sustaining element of the
ancient and modern Mediterranean region, olives symbolize not
only peace, but wisdom, continuity, and trust. During wars in
ancient Greece, olive trees were frequently burned to destroy an
enemy's wealth. Untouched trees symbolized a peaceful region.
Greek mythology tells us that the gods promised that an important
city would be named and ruled over by the god or goddess who
could produce something of greatest value to mortals. Athena
produced the olive tree while her unsuccessful rival, Poseidon,
produced a salt spring. The site of Athens today is crowned by
the Acropolis surrounded on its lower level by a sizeable olive
grove.
The limits of the olive tree mark the northern and southern
limits of Mediterranean climate. Olive oil is one of the region's
principal exports, with major production areas located in Spain,
Italy, Greece, and Tunisia. Both fruit and oil of the olive tree
have been central to the this unique and healthy regional diet.
Interestingly enough modern medical research has indicated that
Mediterranean peoples have traditionally experienced a low rate
of cardio-vascular disease. This could be connected to the
monounsaturated cholesterol lowering properties of olive oil. The
Mediterranean diet based primarily on grain, fruits, vegetables,
as well as olive oil, continues as a focus of modern research and
finds many advocates among cultural historians, food writers, and
health care professionals.
Although the olive has symbolized peace, the Mediterranean
has historically been a region of wars, piracy, and invasion.
Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Vandals, Byzantines, Normans, Arabs
and countless others have conquered, looted, traded, travelled
and settled all over the islands and mainland areas. Many
languages and dialects bear witness to this even today.
Navigation was aided by fair winds during a good part of the year
and also helped by the fact that the Mediterranean is an almost
tideless sea--so that landings and departures were never hindered
by waiting for either high or low water. But the great sailing
advantages took a heavy toll of the area forests. Environmental
degradation became a serious problem very early as ruling powers
sent woodsmen throughout the island and mainland areas to cut
more and more wood for building sailing vessels to expand power
and commerce. In the 1571 Battle of Lepanto, in which the
combined vessels of Christian Europe repulsed the Turks, an
estimated quarter of a million trees had to be felled to
construct the 500 plus vessels which took part in that epic
battle. There are literally no more forests of any size in any
accessible part of the Mediterranean.
During Byzantine times maritime republics such as Venice,
Genoa, and Pisa controlled a great deal of commercial activity
throughout the Mediterranean. During this period the intricate
portolano charts, or maps of the coast were devised by
Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian cartographers giving us the
first true representation of the islands and coasts in the
Mediterranean. For 600 years Venice was probably the most
powerful maritime republic in Europe. Venetians fortified and
occupied the coasts of the Adriatic, Crete and many smaller
islands of the Aegean, while the riches of Constantinople and the
East poured into the Venetian treasury and lavishly furnished
homes. The era inspired innumerable works of art. The delicate
tracery of the arches of the palazzos mirrored in the waters of
the Grand Canal still bear witness to the bygone prosperity of La
Serenissima, or The Serene Republic, the name by which Venice was
formerly known. Even today, a visit to Venice is unlike a visit
to any other city, as one realizes that the sights and sounds of
automotive traffic are blissfully absent.
Trying to represent the varied aspects of the Mediterranean
in a visual medium is an impossiblity within these few pages, but
the challenge of such a task has multiplied the enjoyment of the
effort a hundredfold. And should this brief essay inspire any
reader to undertake a journey of individual exploration to any
part of this unique and colorful region, this effort will be
deemed an unqualified success.
_______
Mildred Berman, believing that knowledge and understanding of
places is an essential part of being a geographer, set out to
explore as many places as she could after completing graduate
work at Clark University's Graduate School of Geography. She saw
the Mediterranean first in 1952, just before joining the
Geography faculty at Salem State College, her alma mater. She has
revisited the region many more times, presenting here but a brief
distillation of her impressions and a small selection of her
photographs.