<P> Two of the most notable Mediterranean civilizations in classical antiquity were the Greek city states and the Phoenicians , both of which extensively colonized the coastlines of the Mediterranean . Later , when Augustus founded the Roman Empire , the Romans referred to the Mediterranean as Mare Nostrum ( `` Our Sea '' ) . For the next 400 years , the Roman Empire completely controlled the Mediterranean Sea and virtually all its coastal regions from Gibraltar to the Levant . </P>
<P> Two of the most notable Mediterranean civilizations in classical antiquity were the Greek city states and the Phoenicians , both of which extensively colonized the coastlines of the Mediterranean . Later , when Augustus founded the Roman Empire , the Romans referred to the Mediterranean as Mare Nostrum ( `` Our Sea '' ) . For the next 400 years , the Roman Empire completely controlled the Mediterranean Sea and virtually all its coastal regions from Gibraltar to the Levant . </P>
which empire did the whole coast of the mediterranean sea belong to
which empire did the whole coast of the mediterranean sea belong to
the Roman Empire
the Roman Empire