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The Roman Empire spanned hundreds of years. The Romans conquered and controlled most of Europe, bits of Asia and North Africa. At their height they had complete control of the Mediterranean. Evidence for the Romans is dotted all over Europe in the shape of both archaeology and place-names such as Colchester in England. Control of the sea was crucial to the growth of the Roman Empire. There were important naval victories that saw the Romans gain control of Carthage and Alexandria. The Roman Empire also relied heavily on trade of goods such as grain. Transport over land was very slow and so the Mediterranean Sea was the fastest and most effective way to move goods from one bit of the empire to another. For the Romans the sea was something to be exploited and controlled. They did not mystify it or fear it, like the Greeks. Instead they simply wanted to use it to the best of their advantage. The Romans were a pragmatic people and their approach to the sea is good evidence of this. In some ways their approach isn’t too dissimilar to that of the British navy.
The Roman Empire spanned hundreds of years. The Romans conquered and controlled most of Europe, bits of Asia and North Africa. At their height they had complete control of the Mediterranean. Evidence for the Romans is dotted all over Europe in the shape of both archaeology and place-names such as Colchester in England. Control of the sea was crucial to the growth of the Roman Empire. There were important naval victories that saw the Romans gain control of Carthage and Alexandria. The Roman Empire also relied heavily on trade of goods such as grain. Transport over land was very slow and so the Mediterranean Sea was the fastest and most effective way to move goods from one bit of the empire to another. For the Romans the sea was something to be exploited and controlled. They did not mystify it or fear it, like the Greeks. Instead they simply wanted to use it to the best of their advantage. The Romans were a pragmatic people and their approach to the sea is good evidence of this. In some ways their approach isn’t too dissimilar to that of the British navy.
This site has information on various aspects of the Roman Seas. There is information on boat building and shipping as well as naval battles and piracy. The author of the site also runs guided tours of the Mediterranean so the site does occasionally get added to when new material shows up. For more information about the site visit the about page. If you are interested in a fantastic cruise with ancient history thrown in as well click the link.