Aegean Sea

For the oil tanker Aegean Sea, see Aegean Sea oil spill. Greek, , meaning chief sea), but in EnFor the theme of the Byzantine Empire, see Aegean Sea glish this words meaning has changed to refer to the
(theme).
Aegean Islands and, generally, to any island group.
The Aegean Sea (/din/; Greek:

1 Etymology
In ancient times, there were various explanations for
the name Aegean. It was said to have been named after the Greek town of Aegae, or after Aegea, a queen
of the Amazons who died in the sea, or Aigaion, the
sea goat, another name of Briareus, one of the archaic Hecatonchires, or, especially among the Athenians,
Aegeus, the father of Theseus, who drowned himself in
the sea when he thought his son had died.
A possible etymology is a derivation from the Greek
word aiges = "waves" (Hesychius of Alexandria;
metaphorical use of (aix) goat), hence wavy sea,
cf. also (aigialos = aiges (waves) + hals (sea)),[3]
hence meaning sea-shore.
The Venetians, who dominated many Greek islands in
the High and Late Middle Ages, popularized the name
Archipelago (Greek for main sea or chief sea), a name
that held on in many European countries until the early
modern period.
In some South Slavic languages the Aegean is often called
White Sea ( , Belo more in Serbian and Macedonian and Byalo more in Bulgarian).[4]

2 Geography
The Aegean Sea covers about 214,000 square kilometres
(83,000 sq mi) in area, and measures about 610 kilometres (380 mi) longitudinally and 300 kilometres (190 mi)
latitudinally. The seas maximum depth is 3,543 metres
(11,624 ft), east of Crete. The Aegean Islands are found
Topographical and bathymetric map
within its waters, with the following islands delimiting the
sea on the south (generally from west to east): Kythera,
[eeo pelaos]; Turkish:
Ege Denizi or Adalar De- Antikythera, Crete, Kasos, Karpathos and Rhodes.
nizi[2] ) is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean
Sea located between the Greek and Anatolian peninsulas, The Aegean Islands, which almost all belong to Greece,
i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the can be divided into seven groups:
north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea
1. Northeastern Aegean Islands
by the Dardanelles and Bosporus. The Aegean Islands are
within the sea and some bound it on its southern periph2. Euboea
ery, including Crete and Rhodes.
The sea was traditionally known as Archipelago (in

3. Northern Sporades
1

GEOGRAPHY

4. Cyclades
5. Saronic Islands (or Argo-Saronic Islands)
6. Dodecanese (or Southern Sporades), with the exclusion of Kastellorizo
7. Crete
Panoramic view of the Santorini caldera, taken from Oia.

The word archipelago was originally applied specically

to the Aegean Sea and its islands. Many of the Aegean
Islands, or chains of islands, are actually extensions of the
mountains on the mainland. One chain extends across the
sea to Chios, another extends across Euboea to Samos,
and a third extends across the Peloponnese and Crete to
Rhodes, dividing the Aegean from the Mediterranean.
The bays and gulfs of the Aegean beginning at the South
and moving clockwise include on Crete, the Mirabelli,
Almyros, Souda and Chania bays or gulfs, on the mainland the Myrtoan Sea to the west, the Saronic Gulf northwestward, the Petalies Gulf which connects with the
South Euboic Sea, the Pagasetic Gulf which connects
with the North Euboic Sea, the Thermian Gulf northwestward, the Chalkidiki Peninsula including the Cassandra
and the Singitic Gulfs, northward the Strymonian Gulf
and the Gulf of Kavala and the rest are in Turkey; Saros
Gulf, Edremit Gulf, Dikili Gulf, Gulf of andarl, zmir
Gulf, Kuadas Gulf, Gulf of Gkova, Gllk Gulf.

2.1

Extent

The International Hydrographic Organization denes the

limits of the Aegean Sea as follows:[5]
On the South. A line running from Cape
Aspro (2816'E) in Asia Minor, to Cum Burn
(Capo della Sabbia) the Northeast extreme of
the Island of Rhodes, through the island to
Cape Prasonisi, the Southwest point thereof,
on to Vrontos Point (3533'N) in Skarpanto
[Karpathos], through this island to Castello
Point, the South extreme thereof, across to
Cape Plaka (East extremity of Crete), through
Crete to Agria Grabusa, the Northwest extreme thereof, thence to Cape Apolitares in
Antikithera Island, through the island to Psira
Rock (o the Northwest point) and across
to Cape Trakhili in Kithera Island, through
Kithera to the Northwest point (Cape Karavugia) and thence to Cape Santa Maria (3628N
2257E / 36.467N 22.950E) in the Morea.
In the Dardanelles. A line joining Kum Kale
(2611'E) and Cape Helles.

2.2

Hydrography

Aegean surface water circulates in a counter-clockwise

gyre, with hypersaline Mediterranean water moving

Clock Tower in zmir, Turkey.

northward along the west coast of Turkey, before being

displaced by less dense Black Sea outow. The dense
Mediterranean water sinks below the Black Sea inow to
a depth of 2330 metres (7598 ft), then ows through
the Dardanelles Strait and into the Sea of Marmara at velocities of 515 cm/s. The Black Sea outow moves westward along the northern Aegean Sea, then ows southwards along the east coast of Greece.[6]
The physical oceanography of the Aegean Sea is controlled mainly by the regional climate, the fresh water discharge from major rivers draining southeastern Europe,
and the seasonal variations in the Black Sea surface water
outow through the Dardanelles Strait.
Analysis[7] of the Aegean during 1991 and 1992 revealed
3 distinct water masses:
Aegean Sea Surface Water 4050 metres (130
160 ft) thick veneer, with summer temperatures of
2126 C and winter temperatures ranging from 10
C (50 F) in the north to 16 C (61 F) in the south.
Aegean Sea Intermediate Water Aegean Sea In-

3
BC) sea levels everywhere were 130 metres lower, and
there were large well-watered coastal plains instead of
much of the northern Aegean. When they were rst occupied, the present-day islands including Milos with its
important obsidian production were probably still connected to the mainland. The present coastal arrangement
appeared c. 7000 BC, with post-ice age sea levels continuing to rise for another 3,000 years after that.[8]
The subsequent Bronze Age civilizations of Greece and
the Aegean Sea have given rise to the general term Aegean
civilization. In ancient times, the sea was the birthplace
of two ancient civilizations the Minoans of Crete and
the Mycenean Civilization of the Peloponnese.[9]

Traditional street of Lefkes, Paros

termediate Water extends from 4050 m to 200

300 metres (660980 ft) with temperatures ranging
from 1118 C.
Aegean Sea Bottom Water occurring at depths
below 5001000 m with a very uniform temperature
(1314 C) and salinity (3.913.92%).

History

Satellite view of the Aegean Sea

Later arose the city-states of Athens and Sparta among

many others that constituted the Athenian Empire and
Hellenic Civilization. Plato described the Greeks living round the Aegean like frogs around a pond.[10] The
Aegean Sea was later invaded by the Persians and the
Romans, and inhabited by the Byzantine Empire, the
Bulgarians, the Venetians, the Genoese, the Seljuq Turks,
and the Ottoman Empire. The Aegean was the site of the
original democracies, and its seaways were the means of
contact among several diverse civilizations of the Eastern
Mediterranean.

4 Economics and politics

Many of the islands in the Aegean have safe harbours and
bays. In ancient times, navigation through the sea was
easier than travelling across the rough terrain of the Greek
Historic map (1528) of Aegean Sea by Ottoman Turkish mainland (and to some extent the coastal areas of Anatolia). Many of the islands are volcanic, and marble and
geographer Piri Reis.
iron are mined on other islands. The larger islands have
The current coastline dates back to about 4000 BC. Be- some fertile valleys and plains. Of the main islands in the
fore that time, at the peak of the last ice age (c. 16,000 Aegean Sea, two belong to Turkey Bozcaada (Tenedos

) and Gkeada (Imbros ); the rest belong to Greece. Between the two countries, there are
political disputes over several aspects of political control
over the Aegean space, including the size of territorial waters, air control and the delimitation of economic rights
to the continental shelf.

See also
Aegean languages
List of traditional Greek place names
Thracian Sea

References

[p] ^ The word Aegean is pronounced i-Jee-en.[11]

[1] DRAINAGE BASIN OF THE MEDITERRANEAN
SEA, UNECE http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/
env/water/blanks/assessment/mediterranean.pdf
[2] Ege Denizinin Orijinal Ad Nedir?, Turkish Naval Force
web site (in Turkish)
[3] Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English
Lexicon, s.v. ""
[4] Zbornik Matice srpske za drutvene nauke: (1961), Volumes 28-31, p.74 (Serbian)
[5] Limits of Oceans and Seas, 3rd edition (PDF). International Hydrographic Organization. 1953. Retrieved 7
February 2010.
[6] Aksu, A. E., D. Yasar, et al. (1995). LATE
GLACIAL-HOLOCENE PALEOCLIMATIC AND
PALEOCEANOGRAPHIC EVOLUTION OF THE
AEGEAN SEA MICROPALEONTOLOGICAL
AND STABLE ISOTOPIC EVIDENCE. Marine
Micropaleontology 25(1): 128.
[7] Yagar, D., 1994. Late glacial-Holocene evolution of the
Aegean Sea. Ph.D. Thesis, Inst. Mar. Sci. Technol.,
Dokuz Eyltil Univ., 329 pp. (Unpubl.)
[8] Tjeerd H. van Andel and Judith C. Shackleton (Winter 1982). Late Paleolithic and Mesolithic Coastlines of
Greece and the Aegean 9, (4). Journal of Field Archaeology. pp. 445454.
[9] Tracey Cullen, Aegean Prehistory: A Review (American
Journal of Archaeology. Supplement, 1); Oliver Dickinson, The Aegean Bronze Age (Cambridge World Archaeology).
[10] John F. Cherry, Despina Margomenou, and Lauren E. Talalay. The familiar phrase giving rise to the title Prehistorians Round the Pond: Reections on Aegean Prehistory
as a Discipline.
[11] Aegean islands Denition and More, MerriamWebster.com, 2011, web:MWaegean.

EXTERNAL LINKS

7 External links
Cultural Portal of the Aegean Archipelago. Foundation of the Hellenic World. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
Coordinates: 39N 25E / 39N 25E

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

8.1

Text

Aegean Sea Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aegean_Sea?oldid=668428745 Contributors: The Epopt, Bryan Derksen, Tarquin,
Jeronimo, ErdemTuzun, Andre Engels, Pgdudda, Christian List, Peterlin~enwiki, Olivier, Michael Hardy, Delirium, , Michael
Shields, Kostasge~enwiki, Adam Bishop, Dcoetzee, Lfh, Paul-L~enwiki, Shizhao, Wetman, Pumpie, Robbot, ChrisO~enwiki, Nurg, Flauto
Dolce, Aggelophoros, Xyzzyva, Urmas, Meursault2004, Monedula, Cantus, Gilgamesh~enwiki, CoStef, Gadum, Pgan002, Zfr, Robin
klein, Mike Rosoft, Freakofnurture, Apalsola, Discospinster, Rich Farmbrough, Guanabot, Vsmith, Kostja, SpookyMulder, El C, Kwamikagami, EmilJ, Markussep, CeeGee, Bobo192, Smalljim, Jojit fb, Naturenet, Alansohn, Mu5ti, Manos, Jheald, Maqs, Versageek, Gene
Nygaard, Feezo, Sburke, Nakos2208~enwiki, NormanEinstein, Sengkang, Pictureuploader, Palica, Emerson7, BD2412, Rjwilmsi, Koavf,
Ikh, FlaBot, RexNL, Malhonen, Chobot, Bornhj, EamonnPKeane, CRAZY SCIENTIST, Roboto de Ajvol, YurikBot, RattusMaximus,
John Smiths, Manop, Gaius Cornelius, Bullzeye, Ugur Basak, Odysses, NawlinWiki, Aldux, Zwobot, Aaron Schulz, Bota47, Botteville,
Donnerstag, Lt-wiki-bot, , GraemeL, Shyam, DVD R W, Eog1916, Sardanaphalus, Attilios, Kimon, Unyoyega, Trojo~enwiki, Alsandro, Bertilvidet, Gilliam, Hmains, IanDavies, Bluebot, F382d56d7a18630cf764a5b576ea1b4810467238, MK8, Enkyklios, Jprg1966,
Akanemoto, Bazonka, Sadads, Octahedron80, Darth Panda, Cplakidas, Teemeah, LukasPietsch, Yidisheryid, Rrburke, Benjamin Mako
Hill, Backspace, Bardsandwarriors, Oli b, Stevenmitchell, Asteraki, Khoikhoi, Politis, Muzoben, Ged UK, NikoSilver, CrashMex, Robosh,
DIEGO RICARDO PEREIRA, Ryulong, Dr.K., NeroN BG, Hectorian, Alessandro57, Skapur, Baloglu, Avg, Ntsimp, Peripitus, Future
Perfect at Sunrise, Scabbers the Rat, Eu.stefan, DumbBOT, Cancun771, PKo~enwiki, Thijs!bot, Wikid77, Sting, Marek69, Fhw, WhaleyTim, Sparos, AntiVandalBot, Luna Santin, MrNoblet, Quintote, Waur56, Roundhouse0, Politicaljunkie23, Amarkov, JAnDbot, Deective,
100110100, Marron 3, Freshacconci, , Magioladitis, El Greco, VoABot II, The Anomebot2, Daarznieks, Baristarim, MartinBot,
DamianOFF, BetBot~enwiki, R'n'B, CommonsDelinker, Davesf, Tadpole9, Gligan, NerdyNSK, Cyrus the virus grissimo, Psychlopaedist,
Plasticup, James Blue Jazz~enwiki, Mcrbs0001, Sol87, Rpeh, Idioma-bot, VolkovBot, Macedonian, TXiKiBoT, Qxz, Martin451, Domitius, Maxim, Uannis~enwiki, Billinghurst, Insanity Incarnate, Ioustinianou, AlleborgoBot, Mario1952, SieBot, Aero1980, Flyer22, Lightmouse, Paulinho28, Dimboukas, Scroch, ClueBot, Scartboy, Muddyb, Heracletus, Parkjunwung, Pras, No such user, Elmalili, Phso2,
Fastcowboy, SilvonenBot, ElMeBot, Airplaneman, CalumH93, Basilicofresco, Shephia, Mnmazur, CarsracBot, Bassbonerocks, Favonian, Selma Kaufmann, CuteHappyBrute, Legobot, , Luckas-bot, Yobot, Berkay0652, South Bay, Eric-Wester, Mpb eu,
AnomieBOT, 1exec1, Ipatrol, TParis, Alexikoua, Rtyq2, ..24, ArthurBot, Xqbot, I Feel Tired, Cowpilot, SassoBot, GhalyBot,
FrescoBot, Stonebug, OscarKosy, Philly boy92, Jauhienij, TobeBot, Ollios, Mishae, , Diannaa, Tbhotch, EmausBot, Dolescum,
Look2See1, K4t3r1n4, TuHan-Bot, Engjlas, Mrsbruggersclass, Erianna, Hazard-Bot, ClueBot NG, Rebecca7241, Sleddog116, Hon-3s-T,
Bped1985, SilentResident, Delusion23, R530, 23x2, Snaevar-bot, MusikAnimal, Davidiad, Notesenses, Andron35, Hellosmileyface63,
BattyBot, ChrisGualtieri, TPBot, BrightStarSky, Alexanderkontin, Frosty, Lfdder, Ahmet Grsakal, Ugog Nizdast, Hwasus, Hinchi tang,
MarkArstenLovesDrK, Eahanedan, Trackteur, Nettraveller, Lovingtoyou, Amortias, Tokosexo, EChastain, KasparBot and Anonymous:
220

8.2

Images

File:Aegean_Sea_by_Piri_Reis.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Aegean_Sea_by_Piri_Reis.jpg License: Public domain Contributors: Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons. Original artist: The original uploader was Shuppiluliuma
at English Wikipedia
File:Aegean_Sea_map_bathymetry-fr.jpg Source:
bathymetry-fr.jpg License: GFDL Contributors:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Aegean_Sea_map_

Topography: NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM3 v.2) (public domain);
Original artist: Eric Gaba (Sting - fr:Sting)
File:Aegean_with_legends.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Aegean_with_legends.svg License: CCBY-SA-3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: w:en:User:Future Perfect at Sunrise
File:Aegeansea.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/Aegeansea.jpg License: Public domain Contributors:
NASA Original artist: ?
File:Commons-logo.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg License: ? Contributors: ? Original
artist: ?
File:Flag_of_Greece.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Flag_of_Greece.svg License: Public domain
Contributors: own code Original artist: (of code) cs:User:-xfi- (talk)
File:Flag_of_Turkey.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Flag_of_Turkey.svg License: Public domain
Contributors: Turkish Flag Law (Trk Bayra Kanunu), Law nr. 2893 of 22 September 1983. Text (in Turkish) at the website of the
Turkish Historical Society (Trk Tarih Kurumu) Original artist: David Benbennick (original author)
File:Folder_Hexagonal_Icon.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/48/Folder_Hexagonal_Icon.svg License: Cc-bysa-3.0 Contributors: ? Original artist: ?
File:Izmir.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Izmir.jpg License: CC BY 2.5 Contributors: No machine
readable source provided. Own work assumed (based on copyright claims). Original artist: No machine readable author provided.
Bertilvidet~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims).
File:Location_Aegean_Sea.png Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Location_Aegean_Sea.png License:
Public domain Contributors: ? Original artist: ?
File:ParosHuis.JPG Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/ParosHuis.JPG License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: ? Original artist: ?
File:People_icon.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/People_icon.svg License: CC0 Contributors: OpenClipart Original artist: OpenClipart

8 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

File:Portal-puzzle.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fd/Portal-puzzle.svg License: Public domain Contributors: ?

Original artist: ?
File:SantoriniPartialPano.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/SantoriniPartialPano.jpg License: Public domain Contributors: Own work Original artist: Leonard G.
File:Speaker_Icon.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Speaker_Icon.svg License: Public domain Contributors: ? Original artist: ?
File:Symbol_book_class2.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Symbol_book_class2.svg License: CC
BY-SA 2.5 Contributors: Mad by Lokal_Prol by combining: Original artist: Lokal_Prol
File:Wikisource-logo.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Contributors: Rei-artur Original artist: Nicholas Moreau
File:Wikivoyage-Logo-v3-icon.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/Wikivoyage-Logo-v3-icon.svg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: AleXXw

8.3

Content license

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0