Black Sea

:For the XTC album, see Black Sea (album).

History

The steppes to the north of the Black Sea have been suggested as the original homeland (Urheimat) of the speakers of the Proto-Indo-European language, (PIE) the progenitor of the Indo-European language family, by some scholars (see Kurgan; others move the heartland further east towards the Caspian Sea, yet others to Anatolia).

Related Topics:
Urheimat - Proto-Indo-European language - Indo-European language - Kurgan - Caspian Sea - Anatolia

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The name 'Black Sea' (initially Pontos Axeinos, "inhospitable sea", later renamed Pontos Euxeinos, "hospitable sea" to gain the sea's good favor) was coined by the Ancient Greek navigators, because of the unusual dark color, compared with the Mediterranean Sea. Visibility in the Black Sea is on average approximately 5 metres (15 feet), as compared to up to 35 metres (100 feet) in the Mediterranean. The water however is as blue as any other sea on bright, clear days. The land at the eastern end of the Black Sea, Colchis (now Georgia), marked for the Greeks an edge of the known world.

Related Topics:
Ancient Greek - Mediterranean Sea - Colchis - Georgia

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