"The volume brings together some of those who have been most active and prominent in recent Mediterranean debates. The focus is in large apart on the ancient and medieval worlds, 3500 B.C. to A.D. 1500, but the book is also concerned to discover what the Mediterranean has meant to others (from Paris to Brazil). The book as a whole is markedly reflexive: how should we use the Mediterranean, and why (apart form those exquisite sunsets) are we fixated on it?"--BOOK JACKET