Oceans and seas:Myrtoan Sea
Published: October 18, 2009, 12:00 am
Updated: May 13, 2013, 10:26 pm
This article has been reviewed by the following Topic Editor:
Peter Saundry
The Myrtoan Sea (also Mirtoan Sea) is part of the Aegean Sea and the larger Mediterranean Sea.
The Myrtoan Sea is bounded by the Cyclades islands to the east and by the Peloponesse peninsula to the west and by the Sea of Crete to the south.
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This article is written at a definitional level only. Authors wishing to improve this entry are inivited to expand the present treatment, which additions will be peer reviewed prior to publication of any expansion. |
Antiquity
The Myrtoan Sea was one of the first seas of the world to appear in recorded history. Strabo provides insights as to the dimensions, limits and specifc islands within the Myrtoan. In antiquity the northern, western and eastern limits are in accord with modern designations, although the southern limits extended clearly to the island of Crete itself; this southern limit would have included the ancient port of Kydonia on the Gulf of Chania, a Minoan stronghold and ancient trading center well known to the mainland Greeks. In fact Kydonia, at the southern limit of the Myrtoan Sea, was an important staging area for Greek ships continuing further into the distant Mediterranean ports visited by the ancient Greek mariners.
The name of the sea is traditionally derived from Myrtilus, charioteer to Oenomaus in Greek mythology. According to myth, Myrtilus was thrown into the sea by Pelops king of Pisa in the Peloponnesus.
References
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Roberto Danovaro et al. 2010. Deep-Sea Biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea: The Known, the Unknown, and the Unknowable. PLoS ONE 5(8)
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C. Michael Hogan. 2008. Cydonia, The Modern Antiquarian
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Horace Leonard Jones and John Robert Sitlington Sterrett. 1917 The geography of Strabo: Volume 1 - Page 477 books.google.comStrabo,
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T. Taymaz, Y. Yilmaz and Y. Dilek. 2008. The Geodynamics of the Aegean and Anatolia, Geological Society of London. ISBN: 1862392390
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POEM Group. General circulation of the Eastern Mediterranean. Earth-Science Reviews, 32: 309, 1992.
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K. I. Stergiou, E. D. Christou, D. Georgopoulos, A. Zenetos, and C. Souvermezoglou. 1997. The Hellenic Seas: Physics, chemistry, biology and fisheries. Oceanog. Marine Biol. Ann. Rev., 35: 538
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Citation
C Michael Hogan (Lead Author);Peter Saundry (Topic Editor) "Myrtoan Sea". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth October 18, 2009; Last revised Date May 13, 2013; Retrieved May 22, 2013 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Myrtoan_Sea?topic=49523>
The Author
Standing within a gentoo penguin colony on King George Island, Antarctica, Dr. C. Michael Hogan served a term as Editor in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Earth which ended in 2012. In addition to authoring a number of papers for the Encyclopedia of Earth, he is a physicist who has published over 1220 peer reviewed articles in other journals and government monographs in the fields of molecular biology, quantum spinwaves, atmospheric physics, biogeochemistry, hydrological modeling, species populat ... (Full Bio)
The Myrtoan Sea (also Mirtoan Sea) is part of the Aegean Sea and the larger Mediterranean Sea.
The Myrtoan Sea is bounded by the Cyclades islands to the east and by the Peloponesse peninsula to the west and by the Sea of Crete to the south.
|
This article is written at a definitional level only. Authors wishing to improve this entry are inivited to expand the present treatment, which additions will be peer reviewed prior to publication of any expansion. |
Antiquity
The Myrtoan Sea was one of the first seas of the world to appear in recorded history. Strabo provides insights as to the dimensions, limits and specifc islands within the Myrtoan. In antiquity the northern, western and eastern limits are in accord with modern designations, although the southern limits extended clearly to the island of Crete itself; this southern limit would have included the ancient port of Kydonia on the Gulf of Chania, a Minoan stronghold and ancient trading center well known to the mainland Greeks. In fact Kydonia, at the southern limit of the Myrtoan Sea, was an important staging area for Greek ships continuing further into the distant Mediterranean ports visited by the ancient Greek mariners.
The name of the sea is traditionally derived from Myrtilus, charioteer to Oenomaus in Greek mythology. According to myth, Myrtilus was thrown into the sea by Pelops king of Pisa in the Peloponnesus.
References
-
Roberto Danovaro et al. 2010. Deep-Sea Biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea: The Known, the Unknown, and the Unknowable. PLoS ONE 5(8)
-
C. Michael Hogan. 2008. Cydonia, The Modern Antiquarian
-
Horace Leonard Jones and John Robert Sitlington Sterrett. 1917 The geography of Strabo: Volume 1 - Page 477 books.google.comStrabo,
-
T. Taymaz, Y. Yilmaz and Y. Dilek. 2008. The Geodynamics of the Aegean and Anatolia, Geological Society of London. ISBN: 1862392390
-
POEM Group. General circulation of the Eastern Mediterranean. Earth-Science Reviews, 32: 309, 1992.
-
K. I. Stergiou, E. D. Christou, D. Georgopoulos, A. Zenetos, and C. Souvermezoglou. 1997. The Hellenic Seas: Physics, chemistry, biology and fisheries. Oceanog. Marine Biol. Ann. Rev., 35: 538
Are you absolutely sure you want to delete this article? This process cannot be undone and is permanent.
Yes, Delete This Article
Are you absolutely sure you want to remove this article? This process cannot be undone and is permanent.
Yes, Remove This Article
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