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I'm from Malta. It's dead center in the Mediterranean sea, just 60 miles off the coast of Sicily, and always has been a melting point of cultures from around th
by arbuge 2y ago
I'm from Malta. It's dead center in the Mediterranean sea, just 60 miles off the coast of Sicily, and always has been a melting point of cultures from around the Mediterranean as a result. This is literally the first time in my life I've heard it described as remote.
- apercu 2y agoAnd during ice ages, even closer to continental settlements. I think I remember (speculation?)that there might have even been a land bridge to Sicily?
- arbuge 1y agoCorrect.
- kjkjadksj 2y ago60 miles off the coast during premodern times seems pretty remote to me. How long would that be on makeshift raft an oar? A days journey or longer with smooth seas?
- ch4s3 2y agoThe early European hunter-gatherers uses something like dugout canoes, and examples dating back 7k years have been found in Italy. Experienced paddlers with good wind and current conditions could cover 60 miles in about a day. The 90 miles form Sicily to Tunisia is also possible to cover in such a canoe, and DNA form skeletal remains does indeed show that people made the journey.
- brandall10 2y agoRoughly 40-60k years ago a similar length journey was likely made from Timor to Australia, fwiw.