Port Cities of the Eastern Mediterranean

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Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1108477372
Total Pages : 491 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (84 download)

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Book Synopsis Port Cities of the Eastern Mediterranean by : Malte Fuhrmann

Download or read book Port Cities of the Eastern Mediterranean written by Malte Fuhrmann and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2020-10-29 with total page 491 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A fascinating history of nineteenth century Eastern Mediterranean port cities, re-examining European influence over the changing lives of their urban populations.

The Asian Mediterranean

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Author :
Publisher : Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN 13 : 0857934279
Total Pages : 425 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (579 download)

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Book Synopsis The Asian Mediterranean by : François Gipouloux

Download or read book The Asian Mediterranean written by François Gipouloux and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2011-01-01 with total page 425 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This intensive monograph, The Asian Mediterranean, is a great synthesis of east west maritime worlds under an emerging global world. Professor Gipouloux has combined historical studies on global maritime seas with regional economic studies on Asia. He also integrates historical interaction between maritime seas and coastal port cities by creating the imaginative geo-economical concept of the East Asian economic corridor , running between Vladivostok and Singapore and locating China, Japan and Southeast Asia into this maritime area. To attain this goal, Professor Gipouloux globalises China through north south, east west and past present combinations, using cross-disciplinary approaches political economy, geography and international relations under wide historical perspectives. The Asian Mediterranean opens a new horizon to look into Asia from a global perspective and at the same time reminds us of the connection beyond contrast between East and West. Takeshi Hamashita, Tokyo University, Japan and Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China A fascinating analysis of the proposition that the start of the 21st century is witnessing the rapid rise in South East Asia of a new and powerful transnational economic zone, the Asian Mediterranean. It uses a wide range of historical and contemporary multidisciplinary sources to systematically explore how, why, and in what ways we can better interpret and understand this contemporary version of economic globalisation by looking back to the equivalent processes centred on the ports around the Mediterranean and the Baltic seas during the late 16th century. Peter Daniels, University of Birmingham, UK François Gipouloux has written a vast and comprehensive history of the Asian economic system. In the tradition of Braudel, he paints a picture that is detailed, full of insight, and essentially very long term. On the basis of an analysis of the old Mediterranean and Hanseatic economic networks, he surveys the pre-modern Asian system, bringing it up to date with studies of Yokohama, Hong Kong, Singapore and other Asian hubs. The culmination of many years work, Gipouloux throws light on a new China a China no longer land based and inward looking but dependent on, and a power in, a maritime world. Christopher Howe, University of London, UK Gipouloux s ground-breaking study based on a long career as a scholar of Asia s past is a most original contribution to the study of globalization. Connecting past and present, the author has further developed the somewhat vague metaphor of an Asian Mediterranean into a well-defined concept that can also be applied to analyzing contemporary affairs. While in the past the traditional Chinese and Japanese state systems were failing to formulate adequate answers, on a more informal level the port cities were able to meet with the maritime challenges of the emerging modern world system. The author convincingly shows how also in the age of globalization, a string of coastal metropolises continues to be instrumental in opening up the Far Eastern economy to the global economy. Leonard Blusse, Leiden University, The Netherlands This insightful book draws upon a wide range of disciplines political economy, geography and international relations to examine how Asia has returned to its central position in the world economy. As in the case of the hosting of the Olympic games, it is cities rather than states which compete, whether as financial centres, logistical hubs or platforms for coordinating international subcontracting. Analysing the historical precedents of the Mediterranean maritime republics, the Baltic Sea Hanseatic League and the South China Sea mercantile kingdoms, the book delineates the way stable economic and legal institutions were developed largely beyond the purview of, and at times in conflict with, the State. Discussing the strong link between history and contemporary economic situation, The Asian Mediterranean will appeal to academics, includin

Rick Steves Mediterranean Cruise Ports

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Publisher : Rick Steves
ISBN 13 : 1631213822
Total Pages : 1388 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (312 download)

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Book Synopsis Rick Steves Mediterranean Cruise Ports by : Rick Steves

Download or read book Rick Steves Mediterranean Cruise Ports written by Rick Steves and published by Rick Steves. This book was released on 2016-09-13 with total page 1388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Set sail and dive into Europe's magnificent port cities with Rick Steves Mediterranean Cruise Ports! Inside you'll find: Rick's expert advice on making the most of your time on a cruise and fully experiencing each city, with thorough coverage of 23 ports of call Practical travel strategies including how to choose and book your cruise, adjust to life on board on the ship, and save money Self-guided walks and tours of each port city so you can hit the best sights, sample authentic cuisine, and get to know the culture, even with a short amount of time Essential logistics including step-by-step instructions for arriving at each terminal, getting into town, and finding necessary services like ATMs and pharmacies Rick's reliable tips and candid advice on how to beat the crowds, skip lines, and avoid tourist traps Helpful reference photos throughout and full-color maps of each city Useful tools like mini-phrasebooks, detailed instructions for any visa requirements, hotel and airport recommendations for cruise access cities, and what to do if you miss your ship Full list of coverage: Provence, Marseille, Toulon and the Port of La Seyne-sur-Mer, Cassis, Aix-en-Provence, Nice, Villefrance-sur-Mer, Cap Ferrat, Monaco, Cannes, Antibes, Florence, Pisa, Lucca, the Port of Livorno, Rome, the Port of Civitaveccia, Naples, Sorrento, Capri, Pompeii, Herculaneum, the Amalfi Coast, Venice, Split, Dubrovnik, Athens, the Port of Piraeus, Mykonos, Santorini, Corfu, Olympia and the Port of Katakolo, Crete and the Port of Heraklion, Rhodes, Istanbul, Ephesus, and The Port of Kusadasi Maximize your time and savor every moment in port with Rick's practical tips, thoughtful advice, and reliable expertise. Heading north? Pick up Rick Steves Scandinavian & Northern European Cruise Ports.

Medieval Mediterranean Ports

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Author :
Publisher : BRILL
ISBN 13 : 900447563X
Total Pages : 324 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (44 download)

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Book Synopsis Medieval Mediterranean Ports by : Silvia Orvietani Busch

Download or read book Medieval Mediterranean Ports written by Silvia Orvietani Busch and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2021-12-28 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents an innovative and detailed study of the ports of the Crown of Aragon in the initial stage of the maritime expansion of medieval Catalonia, comparing them to the Tuscan coast and port-city of Pisa in the decades that witnessed the apogee of its power in the Mediterranean, and looking for common, or contrasting, traits and patterns of development. The approach is multilevel and multidisciplinary, stressing geomorphological, geographical, political, and commercial factors, and drawing on archaeological investigations as well as published ad unpublished historical documents.

European Port Cities in Transition

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Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 303036464X
Total Pages : 355 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (33 download)

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Book Synopsis European Port Cities in Transition by : Angela Carpenter

Download or read book European Port Cities in Transition written by Angela Carpenter and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-01-22 with total page 355 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seaports, as part of urban centers, play a major role in the cultural, social and economic life of the cities in which they are located, and through the links they provide to the outside world. Port-cities in Europe have faced significant change, first with the loss of heavy industry, emergence of Eastern European democracies, and the widening of the European Community (now European Union) during the second half of the twentieth century, and more recently through drivers to change including the global Sustainable Development Agenda and the European Union Circular Economy Agenda. This book examines the role of modern seaports in Europe and consider how port-cities are responding to these major drivers for change. It discusses the broad issues facing European Sea Ports, including port life cycles, spatial planning, and societal integration. May 2019 saw the 200th anniversary of the first steam ship to cross the Atlantic between the US and England, and it is just over 60 years since the invention of the modern intermodal shipping container – both drivers of change in the maritime and ports industry. Increasing movements of people, e.g. through low cost cruises to port cities, can play a major role in changing the nature of such a city and impact on the lives of the people living there. This book brings together original research by both long-standing and younger scholars from multiple disciplines and builds upon the wider discourse about sea ports, port cities, and sustainability.

Port Cities

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780415780421
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (84 download)

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Book Synopsis Port Cities by : Carola Hein

Download or read book Port Cities written by Carola Hein and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scholars from multiple disciplines explore similarities, dissimilarities and the ways in which sea-based networking influences urban landscapes and architecture, socio-economic and cultural development from the 19th to the 21st centuries.

Eastern Mediterranean Port Cities

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Author :
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 331993662X
Total Pages : 264 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (199 download)

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Book Synopsis Eastern Mediterranean Port Cities by : Filiz Yenişehirlioğlu

Download or read book Eastern Mediterranean Port Cities written by Filiz Yenişehirlioğlu and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-07-28 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book surveys the historical development, current problems and likely prospects for Eastern Mediterranean port cities, providing contributions from scholars from various disciplines, such as archaeologists, historians, economists, urban planners and architects. By studying the city of Mersin and the surrounding area, it offers insights into the changing nature of Eastern Mediterranean port cities. The first part of the book discusses the approaches to the Mediterranean World, from the late prehistory to the present, and questions the implications of the values inherited from the past for a sustainable future. The second part then examines the social structure of Eastern Mediterranean port cities presenting an in-depth study of different ethnic groups and communities. In the third part the changing physical structure of these cities is elucidated from the perspectives of archaeology, architecture, and urban planning. The last part focuses on urban memory through a detailed study based on live recordings of original accounts by the local people. The book benefits prospective researchers in the field of Mediterranean studies, archaeology, history, economic history, architecture and urban planning.

The Free Port of Livorno and the Transformation of the Mediterranean World

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Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0192509241
Total Pages : 362 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (925 download)

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Book Synopsis The Free Port of Livorno and the Transformation of the Mediterranean World by : Corey Tazzara

Download or read book The Free Port of Livorno and the Transformation of the Mediterranean World written by Corey Tazzara and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2017-10-20 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the twilight of the Renaissance, the grand duke of Tuscany-a scion of the fabled Medici family of bankers-invited foreign merchants, artisans, and ship captains to settle in his port city of Livorno. The town quickly became one of the most bustling port cities in the Mediterranean, presenting a rich tableau of officials, merchants, mariners, and slaves. Nobody could have predicted in 1600 that their activities would contribute a chapter in the history of free trade. Yet by the late seventeenth century, the grand duke's invitation had evolved into a general program of hospitality towards foreign visitors, the liberal treatment of goods, and a model for the elimination of customs duties. Livorno was the earliest and most successful example of a free port in Europe. The story of Livorno shows the seeds of liberalism emerging, not from the studies of philosophers such as Adam Smith, but out of the nexus between commerce, politics, and identity in the early modern Mediterranean.

Ports, Cities, and Global Supply Chains

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Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1351909851
Total Pages : 303 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (519 download)

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Book Synopsis Ports, Cities, and Global Supply Chains by : James Wang

Download or read book Ports, Cities, and Global Supply Chains written by James Wang and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-03-02 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Global trends in policy and technology related fields are rapidly reshaping the port industry worldwide. International in scope, this volume provides multidisciplinary insights into the role port cities adopt in dealing with global supply chains. Throughout the book, concepts of strategic management, supply chain management, port and transport economics and economic and transport geography are applied to offer an in-depth understanding of the processes underlying global supply chains and associated spatial and functional dynamics in port-cities. The book also discusses policy outcomes and implications relevant to port-cities positioned in different segments of global supply chains.

Maritime Networks, Port Efficiency, and Hinterland Connectivity in the Mediterranean

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Author :
Publisher : World Bank Publications
ISBN 13 : 1464812748
Total Pages : 139 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (648 download)

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Book Synopsis Maritime Networks, Port Efficiency, and Hinterland Connectivity in the Mediterranean by : Jean-François Arvis

Download or read book Maritime Networks, Port Efficiency, and Hinterland Connectivity in the Mediterranean written by Jean-François Arvis and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2018-11-29 with total page 139 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For millennia, the Mediterranean has been one of the most active trading areas, supported by a transport network connecting riparian cities and beyond to their hinterland. The Mediterranean has complex trade patterns and routes--but with key differences from the past. It is no longer an isolated world economy: it is both a trading area and a transit area linking Europe and North Africa with the rest of the world through the hub-and-spoke structure of maritime networks. Understanding how trade connectivity works in the Mediterranean, and elsewhere, is important to policy makers, especially those in developing countries in the Mediterranean, concerned with the economic benefits of large investment in infrastructure. Better connectivity is expected to increase trade with distant markets and stimulate activities in the hinterland. This book is a practical exploration of the three interdependent dimensions of trade connectivity: maritime networks, port efficiency, and hinterland connectivity. Because of the complexity and richness of maritime and trade patterns in the Mediterranean, the research book combines both a regional focus and globally scalable lessons. This book is intended for a wide readership of policy makers in maritime affairs, trade, or industry; professionals from the world of finance or development institutions; and academics. It combines empirical analysis of microeconomic shipping and port data with three case studies of choice of port (focusing on Spain, Egypt, and Morocco) and five case studies on hinterland development (Barcelona; Malta; Marseilles; Port Said East, Egypt; and Tanger Med, Morocco).

Mediterranean Port Cities

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Author :
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 3031323262
Total Pages : 264 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (313 download)

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Book Synopsis Mediterranean Port Cities by : Eyüp Özveren

Download or read book Mediterranean Port Cities written by Eyüp Özveren and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2023-06-28 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book studies the change in Mediterranean port cities, from the nineteenth century when they flourished as a result of international economic relations and advances in transportation technology, through the twentieth century when the nation-states were at their prime time. This trajectory with two distinct parts belongs as a whole to what we call the modern times. Whereas in the first phase, Mediterranean port cities became hubs of spontaneous urban complexity and social diversity thanks to reciprocal relations that made them the places of cultural exchange, where people from different parts of the Mediterranean met one another, during the second, because of the interruption of such connectivities and major demographic changes the same cities experienced by way of massive migration, they became less and less unlike other cities with which they shared the same geography in general and the nation-state territory, in particular. Over the last few decades, with a new round of globalization, port cities increasingly find themselves facing new opportunities and connectivities, the realization of which would make them once again different, albeit in variegated ways and to degrees. Our narrative foregrounds contexts and connectivities with specific attention paid to mobility, fragility, and precarity. The purpose of this book is to highlight commonalities of and differences among the select Mediterranean port cities, with a focus on the role of social actors, changing economic relations and spatial characteristics and practices.

The Life and Death of Ancient Cities

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Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0190618566
Total Pages : 512 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (96 download)

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Book Synopsis The Life and Death of Ancient Cities by : Greg Woolf

Download or read book The Life and Death of Ancient Cities written by Greg Woolf and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2020-04-08 with total page 512 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The dramatic story of the rise and collapse of Europe's first great urban experiment The growth of cities around the world in the last two centuries is the greatest episode in our urban history, but it is not the first. Three thousand years ago most of the Mediterranean basin was a world of villages; a world without money or writing, without temples for the gods or palaces for the mighty. Over the centuries that followed, however, cities appeared in many places around the Inland Sea, built by Greeks and Romans, and also by Etruscans and Phoenicians, Tartessians and Lycians, and many others. Most were tiny by modern standards, but they were the building blocks of all the states and empires of antiquity. The greatest--Athens and Corinth, Syracuse and Marseilles, Alexandria and Ephesus, Persepolis and Carthage, Rome and Byzantium--became the powerhouses of successive ancient societies, not just political centers but also the places where ancient art and literatures were created and accumulated. And then, half way through the first millennium, most withered away, leaving behind ruins that have fascinated so many who came after. Based on the most recent historical and archaeological evidence, The Life and Death of Ancient Cities provides a sweeping narrative of one of the world's first great urban experiments, from Bronze Age origins to the demise of cities in late antiquity. Greg Woolf chronicles the history of the ancient Mediterranean city, against the background of wider patterns of human evolution, and of the unforgiving environment in which they were built. Richly illustrated, the book vividly brings to life the abandoned remains of our ancient urban ancestors and serves as a stark reminder of the fragility of even the mightiest of cities.

Mediterranean Cities

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Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317845293
Total Pages : 214 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (178 download)

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Book Synopsis Mediterranean Cities by : Robert L. Hohlfelder

Download or read book Mediterranean Cities written by Robert L. Hohlfelder and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-12-22 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First published in 1988. This is a collection of works where the Mediterranean provides the context for all the cities which appear in this volume: all are (or have been) port cities, and as such their harbours played a significant role in shaping their histories. In essence, the question of ‘interaction between man and sea’ is one of the influence of the maritime position on the human communities constituting the ‘Mediterranean cities’: the connections between them, and the link of each city with its hinterland, as well as the influence of its position on the city’s internal development and character.

Aden and the Indian Ocean Trade

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Publisher : UNC Press Books
ISBN 13 : 1469606712
Total Pages : 361 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (696 download)

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Book Synopsis Aden and the Indian Ocean Trade by : Roxani Eleni Margariti

Download or read book Aden and the Indian Ocean Trade written by Roxani Eleni Margariti and published by UNC Press Books. This book was released on 2012-09-01 with total page 361 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Positioned at the crossroads of the maritime routes linking the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, the Yemeni port of Aden grew to be one of the medieval world's greatest commercial hubs. Approaching Aden's history between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries through the prism of overseas trade and commercial culture, Roxani Eleni Margariti examines the ways in which physical space and urban institutions developed to serve and harness the commercial potential presented by the city's strategic location. Utilizing historical and archaeological methods, Margariti draws together a rich variety of sources far beyond the normative and relatively accessible legal rulings issued by Islamic courts of the time. She explores environmental, material, and textual data, including merchants' testimonies from the medieval documentary repository known as the Cairo Geniza. Her analysis brings the port city to life, detailing its fortifications, water supply, harbor, customs house, marketplaces, and ship-building facilities. She also provides a broader picture of the history of the city and the ways merchants and administrators regulated and fostered trade. Margariti ultimately demonstrates how port cities, as nodes of exchange, communication, and interconnectedness, are crucial in Indian Ocean and Middle Eastern history as well as Islamic and Jewish history.

Roman Port Societies

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Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1108787827
Total Pages : 471 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (87 download)

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Book Synopsis Roman Port Societies by : Pascal Arnaud

Download or read book Roman Port Societies written by Pascal Arnaud and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2020-09-03 with total page 471 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this book, an international team of experts draws upon a rich range of Latin and Greek texts to explore the roles played by individuals at ports in activities and institutions that were central to the maritime commerce of the Roman Mediterranean. In particular, they focus upon some of the interpretative issues that arise in dealing with this kind of epigraphic evidence, the archaeological contexts of the texts, social institutions and social groups in ports, legal issues relating to harbours, case studies relating to specific ports, and mercantile connections and shippers. While much attention is inevitably focused upon the richer epigraphic collections of Ostia and Ephesos, the papers draw upon inscriptions from a very wide range of ports across the Mediterranean. The volume will be invaluable for all scholars and students of Roman history.

Port-Cities and their Hinterlands

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Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 0429514301
Total Pages : 377 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (295 download)

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Book Synopsis Port-Cities and their Hinterlands by : Robert Lee

Download or read book Port-Cities and their Hinterlands written by Robert Lee and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2022-03-14 with total page 377 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This interdisciplinary book brings together eleven original contributions by scholars in the United Kingdom, continental Europe, America and Japan which represent innovative and important research on the relationship between cities and their hinterlands. They discuss the factors which determined the changing nature of port-hinterland relations in particular, and highlight the ways in which port-cities have interacted and intersected with their different hinterlands as a result of both in- and out-migration, cultural exchange and the wider flow of goods, services and information. Historically, maritime commerce was a powerful driving force behind urbanisation and by 1850 seaports accounted for a significant proportion of the world’s great cities. Ports acted as nodal points for the flow of population and the dissemination of goods and services, but their role as growth poles also affected the economic transformation of both their hinterlands and forelands. In fact, most ports, irrespective of their size, had a series of overlapping hinterlands whose shifting importance reflected changes in trading relations (political frameworks), migration patterns, family networks and cultural exchange. Urban historians have been criticised for being concerned primarily with self-contained processes which operate within the boundaries of individual towns and cities and as a result, the key relationships between cities and their hinterlands have often been neglected. The chapters in this work focus primarily on the determinants of port-hinterland linkages and analyse these as distinct, but interrelated, fields of interaction. Marking a significant contribution to the literature in this field, Port-Cities and their Hinterlands provides essential reading for students and scholars of the history of economics.

A Brief History of the Mediterranean

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Author :
Publisher : Robinson
ISBN 13 : 1472144392
Total Pages : 294 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (721 download)

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Book Synopsis A Brief History of the Mediterranean by : Jeremy Black

Download or read book A Brief History of the Mediterranean written by Jeremy Black and published by Robinson. This book was released on 2020-07-02 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A wonderfully concise and readable, yet comprehensive, history of the Mediterranean Sea, the perfect companion for any visitor -- or indeed, anyone compelled to stay at home. 'The grand object of travelling is to see the shores of the Mediterranean.' Samuel Johnson, 1776 The Mediterranean has always been a leading stage for world history; it is also visited each year by tens of millions of tourists, both local and international. Jeremy Black provides an account in which the experience of travel is foremost: travel for tourism, for trade, for war, for migration, for culture, or, as so often, for a variety of reasons. Travellers have always had a variety of goals and situations, from rulers to slaves, merchants to pirates, and Black covers them all, from Phoenicians travelling for trade to the modern tourist sailing for pleasure and cruising in great comfort. Throughout the book the emphasis is on the sea, on coastal regions and on port cities visited by cruise liners - Athens, Barcelona, Naples, Palermo. But it also looks beyond, notably to the other waters that flow into the Mediterranean - the Black Sea, the Atlantic, the Red Sea and rivers, from the Ebro and Rhone to the Nile. Much of western Eurasia and northern Africa played, and continues to play, a role, directly or indirectly, in the fate of the Mediterranean. At times, that can make the history of the sea an account of conflict after conflict, but it is necessary to understand these wars in order to grasp the changing boundaries of the Mediterranean states, societies and religions, the buildings that have been left, and the peoples' cultures, senses of identity and histories. Black explores the centrality of the Mediterranean to the Western experience of travel, beginning in antiquity with the Phoenicians, Minoans and Greeks. He shows how the Roman Empire united the sea, and how it was later divided by Christianity and Islam. He tells the story of the rise and fall of the maritime empires of Pisa, Genoa and Venice, describes how galley warfare evolved and how the Mediterranean fired the imagination of Shakespeare, among many artists. From the Renaissance and Baroque to the seventeenth-century beginnings of English tourism - to the Aegean, Sicily and other destinations - Black examines the culture of the Mediterraean. He shows how English naval power grew, culminating in Nelson's famous victory over the French in the Battle of the Nile and the establishment of Gibraltar, Minorca and Malta as naval bases. Black explains the retreat of Islam in north Africa, describes the age of steam navigation and looks at how and why the British occupied Cyprus, Egypt and the Ionian Islands. He looks at the impact of the Suez Canal as a new sea route to India and how the Riviera became Europe's playground. He shows how the Mediterranean has been central to two World Wars, the Cold War and ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. With its focus always on the Sea, the book looks at the fate of port cities particularly - Alexandria, Salonika and Naples.