Mobility and Travel in the Mediterranean from Antiquity to the Middle Ages

Book excerpt: The Mediterranean world is a model that serves the analysis of the dynamic process of cultural identity through approximation and differentiation, through openness and self-assertion, through a constant contact - by way of travel - to foreign regions, cultures and societies. For ancient Greek culture, mobility seems to be a specific characteristic. The same can be said for the Christian, Judaic and Islamic Middle Ages, however, under different or changed circumstances. This publication presents the contributions to an international workshop in cultural analysis, which focused on mobility as a proof of the historical flexibility of Mediterranean cultural systems.