<P> Several ancient civilizations were located around the Mediterranean shores and were greatly influenced by their proximity to the sea . It provided routes for trade, colonization, and war, as well as food (from fishing and the gathering of other seafood) for numerous communities throughout the ages . </P> <P> Due to the shared climate, geology, and access to the sea, cultures centered on the Mediterranean tended to have some extent of intertwined culture and history . </P> <P> Two of the most notable Mediterranean civilizations in classical antiquity were the Greek city states and the Phoenicians, both of which extensively colonized the coastlines of the Mediterranean . Later, when Augustus founded the Roman Empire, the Romans referred to the Mediterranean as Mare Nostrum ("Our Sea"). For the next 400 years, the Roman Empire completely controlled the Mediterranean Sea and virtually all its coastal regions from Gibraltar to the Levant . </P> <P> Darius I of Persia, who conquered Ancient Egypt, built a canal linking the Mediterranean to the Red Sea . Darius's canal was wide enough for two triremes to pass each other with oars extended, and required four days to traverse . </P>

Which empire did the whole coast of the mediterranean sea belong to