Mediterranean culture has been shaped by thousands of years of history and has been influenced by several ancient civilizations like the Greeks, the Romans, the Egyptians, the Phoenicians and the Carthaginians. In spite of the linguistical and cultural differences, the Mediterranean region shares common roots, which contributed to create a rich and fascinating culture.
The most important foundations that bring Mediterranean cultures together are: geographical location, history, religion, cuisine, music and dancing.
Let’s explore them one at the time.
Geographical Location
Source: worldatlas.com
The first factor that enormously helped the Mediterranean region to grow such a rich culture is undoubtedly its geographical location. The Mediterranean basin, in fact, is landlocked among three continents: Europe, Africa and Asia. These conditions are ideal and certainly helped to foster intense and continuous cultural exchanges among the peoples of the Mediterranean which, in turn, led to a fascinating mixing-up of ideas, history, trades and traditions.
History
Parthenon in Athens, Acropolis, Greece
Another factor, which contributed to make this region great, is its magnificent history. The civilizations who inhabited this area have been the most advanced of their time and left a cultural inheritance, which survived till today. For instance, the Hellenic culture coming from the ancient Greeks had a significant impact on the development of literature, philosophy, politics and art of all Mediterranean countries. On the other hand, the Romans left an indelible imprint as far as language and law are concerned.
Religion
Basilica of Saint Nicholas in Bari, Puglia, Southeastern Italy
The third common root of Mediterranean culture is religion. The Mediterranean basin gave birth to some of the greatest religions in the world: Christianity, Hebraism and Islam. These religions, as different as they may be, have some key common traits, in fact, they are all based on monotheism and they all give great importance to morals and ethics. These commonalities played a massive role in the development of the Mediterranean culture.
Cuisine
Mediterranean onion calzone
The fourth common root of Mediterranean culture is cuisine. The Mediterranean diet, which is based upon fruit, vegetables, feed-grains, legumes, fish and extra virgin olive oil, is considered to be the healthiest diet in the world. This type of diet is the result of centuries of culinary traditions whose ingredients and techniques have been continuously blended in Mediterranean cultures to create delicious yet highly-rich-in-nutrients dishes.
Music and Dancing
Source: canzonieregrecanicosalentino.net
Finally, last but certainly not least, we have music and dancing, which play an important role in the foundation of Mediterranean culture. In particular, traditional music, in this beautiful region of the world, uses particular instruments such as the oud, the bouzouki, the mandolin and the violin, just to name a few. Traditional dances, like the Italian tarantella, the Greek sirtaki or belly dancing are often accompanied by musical instruments and have been practiced for hundreds of years, which is precisely why they are deeply rooted in this incredible region.
All in all, Mediterranean culture has been shaped by different factors but it has certain common foundations, which makes it unique and fascinating. Its geographical positions, its ancient history, its religions, its music and dances are all things that contributed to make this place so culturally rich.
Those common roots have been passed on between one generation and the next and, even if they might have been slightly adapted to modern times, are still well alive today. One of the reasons Mediterranean cultures continues to fascinate the world is because it represents a bridge between the past and the present. Its cultural traditions have been passed on for centuries but they have also been adapted to and blended with modernity to create a lively and vibrant culture.
The fact that each Mediterranean country has its own language, cuisine, music, dances and traditions makes this region even more interesting.
Overall, Mediterranean culture continues to inspire several people in the whole world and it will certainly continue to play a very vital role on a global scale also in the future.