The Mediterranean is a vacation destination yearned for by dignitaries, celebrities, and tourists from all over the world. The Aegean Sea, located in its eastern part, is not only the cradle of Western European civilization and the origin of modern democracy, but for the Chinese people, it is also synonymous with romantic sentiment.
The Aegean Sea has always been regarded as a place of romance. The sky is blue, and the clouds are white; the sea is blue, and the waves are white... If you take a photo of the sea with splashing waves, it is almost impossible to distinguish whether it is the sea surface or the blue sky amidst the white clouds. Such a bright and beautiful place made even Princess Diana linger, leading her to build her own vacation villa on one of the islands in the Aegean Sea.
There are hundreds of islands in the Aegean Sea, and the wonderful scenery of these numerous islands adds to the charm of this sea area. To see the most beautiful islands, one must take a boat to places further away from Athens. The most famous islands include Santorini and Delos, each with its own unique style. Some of these small islands are also rich in local specialties such as pistachios.
The Aegean Sea is located between Greece and Turkey, stretching 610 kilometers from north to south and about 300 kilometers from east to west, covering an area of 214,000 square kilometers. East of Crete, the deepest point is 3,543 meters, with a salinity of 36—39‰. Major coastal ports include Thessaloniki and Piraeus (Greece) and Izmir (Turkey).
The Legend of the Aegean Sea
In ancient times, there was a king named Minos who ruled over Crete, an island in the Aegean Sea. Minos's son was conspired against and murdered in Attica, Athens. To avenge his son, Minos challenged the people of Athens. Under the punishment of the gods, Athens was filled with famine and plague. Faced with Minos's challenge, the Athenians sued for peace with King Minos. Minos demanded that they send 7 pairs of boys and girls to Crete every 9 years. On Crete, Minos built a labyrinth with countless palaces, where the paths were winding and complex; no one who entered could ever get out. In the depths of the labyrinth, Minos kept a beast with a human body and a bull's head, the Minotaur. The 7 pairs of boys and girls sent by Athens each time were offered to the Minotaur as food.
This year was once again the time for the offering of boys and girls. The parents of the children were all filled with fear and anxiety. Theseus, the son of King Aegeus of Athens, was deeply troubled by the misfortune suffered by the people. He resolved to set off with the boys and girls and swore to kill the Minotaur. Amidst the weeping and sorrow of the Athenian people, they bid farewell to the seven pairs of boys and girls, including Theseus. Theseus made a pact with his father that if he killed the Minotaur, he would change the black sails on the ship to white sails upon his return. As long as the black sails on the ship turned white, it would prove that King Aegeus would see his son Theseus again.
Theseus led the boys and girls and landed on Crete. His handsome and dashing appearance caught the attention of King Minos's daughter, the beautiful and intelligent Princess Ariadne. The princess expressed her admiration for Theseus and met with him in secret. When she learned of Theseus's mission, she gave him a magic sword and a ball of thread to prevent him from being harmed by the Minotaur. Clever and brave, as soon as Theseus entered the labyrinth, he tied one end of the thread to the entrance, then let out the ball of thread, walking along the winding and complex passages into the depths of the labyrinth. Finally, he found the monster, the Minotaur. He grabbed the Minotaur's horns and, using the sword given by Princess Ariadne, fought hard to kill the Minotaur. Then, he led the boys and girls out of the labyrinth by following the thread. To prevent pursuit by King Minos, they bored holes in the bottoms of all the Cretan ships by the shore. Princess Ariadne helped them, escaped from Crete with them, and set sail for home. After several days of sailing, they finally saw their motherland, Athens, again. Theseus and his companions were extremely excited, singing and dancing, but he forgot the pact with his father and did not change the black sails to white. King Aegeus, who was waiting for his son's return, stood by the sea. When he saw that the returning ship was still flying black sails, he thought his son had been eaten by the Minotaur. Overcome with grief, he jumped into the sea and committed suicide. To commemorate King Aegeus, the sea into which he jumped has been called the Aegean Sea ever since.