Ezekiel’s prophecy speaks of “very many” fish in the Great Sea. (Ezek. 47:10) Fine coral and an abundance of sponge are found in these waters, in addition to more than 400 varieties of fish.

Bible writers not only used the name “Great Sea” (Josh. 1:4; 9:1, 2; 15:12, 47; 23:4; Ezek. 47:15, 19, 20; 48:28), but they also referred to it by other comprehensive terms. To them this body of water was the “western sea,” forming as it did the western boundary of Palestine. (Deut. 11:24; 34:1, 2) From the location of Jerusalem it was viewed as the “western sea” in contrast with the “eastern sea,” that is, the Dead Sea. (Joel 2:20; Zech. 14:8) Or it was called “the sea of the Philistines” (Ex. 23:31) or simply “the Sea.”—Num. 34:5.

From time immemorial Phoenicians and other bold seafaring people traversed the Great Sea, discovered a number of its islands, and carried on trade between many of its port cities. The Bible mentions such islands as Arvad, Cauda, Chios, Cos, Crete, Cyprus, Malta, Patmos, Rhodes, Samos, and Samothrace. Also, some of the coastal cities and sites on these islands and along the continental shores of the eastern section of the Great Sea are listed in the Bible, namely: Acco (Ptolemais), Achzib, Adramyttium, Alexandria, Amphipolis, Ashkelon, Attalia, Cnidus, Dor, Fair Havens, Gebal, Lasea, Patara, Phoenix, Puteoli, Rhegium, Salamis, Salmone and Syracuse.

Jesus Christ visited the seaport regions of Tyre and Sidon (Mark 7:24, 31); Peter was in Joppa and Caesarea (Acts 10:5, 6, 24); Paul was in Paphos, Troas, Neapolis, Cenchreae, Ephesus, Assos, Mitylene and Miletus. (Acts 13:13; 16:11; 18:18, 19; 20:14, 15) The Great Sea is noted for its fierce storms that have resulted in numerous shipwrecks and much loss of life. Among the more fortunate were those who survived with Jonah and Paul on their famous voyages.—Jonah 1:3-16; Acts 27:14, 15, 39-44.

GREECE, GREEKS

These names come from Graikoiʹ, the name of a tribe in NW Greece. The Italians applied the name (Latin, Graeci) to the inhabitants of Greece as a whole. Eventually even Aristotle in his writings used the term in a similar way.

Another earlier name, “Ionians,” appears from the eighth century B.C.E. onward in Assyrian cuneiform records, as well as in Persian and Egyptian accounts. This name comes from that of Javan (Heb., Ya·wanʹ), son of Japheth and grandson of Noah. Javan was the Japhetic ancestor of the early peoples of Greece and the surrounding islands, as well as, evidently, of the early inhabitants of Cyprus, parts of southern Italy, Sicily, and Spain.—Gen. 10:1, 2, 4, 5; 1 Chron. 1:4, 5, 7; see JAVAN; ELISHAH; KITTIM; RODANIM; TARSHISH No. 1.

While “Ionian” now applies geographically to the