the mediterranean
The Ancient Greece civilization thrived around the Mediterranean Sea, which connected Greece to the rest of the world. It encompasses the Aegean Sea and the Ionian Sea which lies between the Balkan and Italian peninsulas. The seas were more efficient travel routes than the dirt trails which were known as roads. Ships could go faster and carry more cargo then wagons. Greek goods such as pottery, bronze, silver and gold vessels, olive oil, wine, and textiles, were exchanged for luxury items and exotic raw material. Cities that controlled good harbors grew prosperous from the trade that flowed to them and from the fees they could charge ship-owners and merchants. Ancient Greece eventually inhabited about 700 communities clustered around the Mediterranean Sea. The settlements reached from the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Mediterranean coast of the Middle East in the east, extending southward to the northern coast of Africa.