The story of the ancient world is one of water.
Cultures rose and fell on its waves, and the everyday objects they left behind tell stories of their relationships to the sea. For traders, artisans, soldiers, and colonists, the Mediterranean was a highway for cultural exchange, propelling art and technology forward—sometimes through violent conquest and other times through peaceful interaction.
Focusing on three influential ancient worlds—Egyptian, Greek, and Roman—each had its own values, aesthetics, and social structures. Yet all developed in conversation with one another, reminding us that globalization is not just a modern phenomenon.
