The Medieval Period
Latin geography in the Early Middle Ages saw the Indian Ocean, mentioned in a small number of ancient sources, as the distant border of the inhabited world.
For Arab and Asian societies, however, it was a well-used sea-way that was much more important than the Mediterranean Sea: from their viewpoint, Northern Europe was the distant and barbarian edge-zone.
Latin geography in the Early Middle Ages saw the Indian Ocean, mentioned in a small number of ancient sources, as the distant border of the inhabited world.
For Arab and Asian societies, however, it was a well-used sea-way that was much more important than the Mediterranean Sea: from their viewpoint, Northern Europe was the distant and barbarian edge-zone.
