Summary The Mediterranean has, for millennia, formed the heart of an intensive trading network of ideas, goods, and people. For the ancient populations of the Levant, Cyprus, and Southern Anatolia, interactions with the sea ? from fishing to seafaring, and from trade to dye production ? were a constant presence in their life. But how did the coastal peoples of the Bronze Age understand the sea? How did living on the shore influence their lives, from daily practices to mythological beliefs? And what was the impact on their conceptual world? This volume seeks to engage with these questions by addressing the relationship between environment, diet, material production, perception, and thought formation through a combination of archaeological analysis and engagement with primary sources, and in doing so, it offers unique insights into the conceptual world of the ancient Mediterranean maritime cultures of the 2nd millennium BCE. TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements List of Abbreviations List of Common and Scientific Names of Fish and Molluscs Mentioned in the Text Part I: Framework Chapter 1. Introduction Objectives Organization of the Book Chapter 2. History, Theory, and Methods State of the Art Theoretical Framework Chronological Framework The Evidence Part II: Regional Chapters Chapter 3. Levant Faunal and Material Cultural Evidence Textual Evidence Discussion Chapter 4. Cyprus Faunal and Material Cultural Evidence Textual Evidence Discussion Chapter 5. Southern Anatolian Coast Faunal and Material Cultural Evidence Textual Evidence Discussion Part III: Overarching Analysis Chapter 6. Concepts of Marine Fauna Marine Fauna as Food Fish and Molluscs: Offerings and Purity Marine Fauna as Status or Commodity Visual Concepts of Marine Fauna Chapter 7. Concepts of the Sea The Sea as a Place The Sea as a Supernatural Force The Sea as a Divine Entity Chapter 8. Conclusions: Concepts of Seascapes Works Cited Index