Long before European and Arab seafarers developed large ships with which they could discover and navigate the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean was the pivotal point of world history. Protected by enclosing land masses and shallow waters, the comparatively young waters of the European Mediterranean, Totem, Caspian and Black Seas - all remnants of the primordial Thetys Sea - are seas of connection for the cultures on their coasts. They inspire shipbuilding and technology transfer, cultural exchange and progress, while they also clash in religious wars, pirates, crusaders and slavery. To this day, the similarities and differences between the cultures on the shores of the Mediterranean are more pronounced than on any other sea. And even in current geopolitics, they still play an important role, such as the Black Sea as Russia's only ice-free port.
