### L1493 Aegean living required seeing the sea as part of the landscape > Deciphering the Aegean was an easy task in terms of establishing basic geography and overcoming the fear of crossing open water. What required prolonged experience and intense decipherment was the acquisition of a mental chart of the ocean around one, of different islands and their anchorages and beaches, of places where you could haul ashore while the meltemi churned the ocean into a froth of whitecaps. As it was everywhere, early seafarers learned to think of the Aegean and off-lying islands on the horizon as part of their landscape of daily existence. It was only a matter of time before they incorporated the seascape into their daily lives. Once they did, they could live on the islands at their doorstep only by interacting constantly with other local communities across the sea. - [[Beyond the Blue Horizon by Brian Fagan#L1493 Aegean living required seeing the sea as part of the landscape|View in Vault]]