Venetian breakthrough: European communications in the central Mediterranean
Michael McCormick
The venetians' arrival on the western shores of Italy around 748 casts a sudden shaft light central Mediterranean. Adriatic returns to life in eighth century amidst flurry ship movements. A couple generations later, another communications corridor funneled into Ionian Sea and reinforced it: land sea routes which converged at gulf Corinth. Tracing return shipping these two great corridors will fill out our picture origins medieval European patterns allow us address their structure.
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