Sea (ancient Greek context)

Significance and notes

Mediterranean Sea

The heart of Greek civilisation. Its mild climate and long coastline supported seafaring city‑states such as Athens, Corinth and Syracuse. It linked Greece to the Phoenicians, Egyptians and Carthaginians and facilitated trade in grain, wine, olive oil and ideas.

Adriatic Sea

This long, narrow gulf between the Italian peninsula and the Balkans connected Greek colonies in Illyria (modern Albania and Croatia) with the wider Mediterranean. Venetian lagoons later inspired the Roman phrase septem maria (“seven seas”)

Black Sea

Known to the Greeks as Pontus Euxinus, this inland sea provided access to rich grain‑growing regions in modern Ukraine and Russia. Greek traders founded colonies along its coast and used it as a gateway to the Caucasus.

Caspian Sea

The world’s largest inland body of water. The Greeks reached it via overland routes and associated it with legends of distant peoples and riches. The Library of Congress notes that the Caspian, although called a sea, is technically a saltwater lake because it lacks an outlet.

Red Sea

A narrow sea between Africa and Arabia. Its warm, saline waters are among the world’s saltiest. Greek sailors would have known it as part of trade routes to Egypt, Arabia and the Indian Ocean.

Persian Gulf

This shallow gulf served as a conduit between Mesopotamia, Persia and the wider Indian Ocean. It was important for trade in spices, textiles and pearls.

Arabian (or Indian) Sea

Some lists substitute the Arabian Sea for the Indian Ocean. For the Greeks, this sea beyond the Red Sea marked the edge of the known world and connected them indirectly to India and East Africa.

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