The Basque
History of the World
by Mark Kurlansky · first published 1999
25% recommend75% neutral
"The Basque History of the World is the illuminating story of an ancient and enigmatic people. Signs of their civilization existed well before the arrival of the Romans in 218 B.C., and though theories abound, no one has ever been able to determine their origins. Their ancient tongue, Euskera, is equally mysterious: It is the oldest living European language, and is related to no other language on Earth."--BOOK JACKET. "Yet despite their obscure origins and small numbers (2.4 million people today), the Basques have had a profound impact on Europe and the world for more than 2,000 years. Never
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The Basque History of the World by Mark Kurlansky (book/audiobook) is excellent on this topic. The Basque, according to current evidence, invented whaling, and were culturally central to its interweaving with human…
on “Blue whale skeleton at New Bedford museum still oozing oil” ↗https://www.amazon.com/Basque-History-World-Story-Nation/dp/...
on “A monk in 14th-century Italy wrote about the Americas” ↗Mark Kurlansky's rather fascinating book "Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World" asserts Basque fisherman were working the banks off North America possibly even before Vikings began their exploration. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/review-of-cod-a-...
on “Did Ancient Greeks Sail to Canada?” ↗…fish. Source: https://www.amazon.com/Cod-Biography-Fish-Changed-World-eboo... Also history of food: https://www.amazon.com/Salt-World-History-Mark-Kurlansky-ebo... The author has a fascination with Basques & Basque history. Or maybe they really had a large influence in fishing and trans-Atlantic navigation. And that maybe they discovered the huge cod banks by Newfoundland before John Cabot did. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cabot…
on “Fish bad, sugar good, and other medieval ideas about food” ↗