In
modern
times,
the
term
seven
seas
is
synonymous
with
the
seven
oceans
of
the
world:
Arctic,
North
Atlantic,
South
Atlantic,
North
Pacific,
South
Pacific,
Indian,
and
Southern
oceans.
However,
that
has
not
always
been
the
case.
The
3
maps
below
created
by
reddit
user
DwizKhalifa
show
how
the
term
seven
seas
has
been
used
by
different
people
at
different
times.
Seven
Seas
According
To
The
Ancient
Greeks
According
to
the
ancient
Greeks
the
Seven
Seas
were:
On
the
map:
-
Mediterranean
Sea -
Adriatic
Sea -
Black
Sea -
Caspian
Sea -
Red
Sea -
Persian
Gulf -
Arabian
Sea
Ranked
by
Approximate
modern
day
Surface
Area
(Largest
to
Smallest)
-
Arabian
Sea:
~3,860,000
km² -
Mediterranean
Sea:
~2,500,000
km² -
Red
Sea:
~438,000
km² -
Black
Sea:
~436,000
km² -
Caspian
Sea:
~371,000
km² -
Persian
Gulf:
~251,000
km² -
Adriatic
Sea:
~139,000
km²
Seven
Seas
According
To
Arabian
Sources
According
to
the
Arabs
the
Seven
Seas
were:
The
seven
seas
as
labeled
on
the
map
are:
-
Persian
Gulf -
Arabian
Sea -
Bay
of
Bengal -
Strait
of
Malacca -
Singapore
Strait -
Gulf
of
Thailand -
South
China
Sea
Ranked
by
Approximate
Modern-Day
Surface
Area
(Largest
to
Smallest)
-
Arabian
Sea:
~3,860,000
km² -
South
China
Sea:
~3,500,000
km² -
Bay
of
Bengal:
~2,170,000
km² -
Gulf
of
Thailand:
~320,000
km² -
Persian
Gulf:
~251,000
km² -
Strait
of
Malacca:
~65,000
km²* -
Singapore
Strait:
*Significantly
smaller
than
the
others*
*Note:
Straits
are
usually
measured
by
length
and
average
width
rather
than
total
surface
area.
Figures
above
are
approximate
references.
Seven
Seas
According
To
Medieval
Europeans
And
finally
according
to
the
medieval
Europeans:
The
seven
seas
as
labeled
on
the
map
are:
-
Baltic
Sea -
North
Sea -
Atlantic
Ocean -
Mediterranean
Sea -
Black
Sea -
Red
Sea -
Arabian
Sea
Ranked
by
Approximate
Modern-Day
Surface
Area
(Largest
to
Smallest)
-
Atlantic
Ocean:
~106,000,000
km² -
Arabian
Sea:
~3,860,000
km² -
Mediterranean
Sea:
~2,500,000
km² -
North
Sea:
~750,000
km² -
Red
Sea:
~438,000
km² -
Black
Sea:
~436,000
km² -
Baltic
Sea:
~377,000
km²
Note:
The
“Atlantic”
here
is
counted
as
one
of
the
Seven
Seas
(as
it
was
in
many
medieval
European
accounts),
although
it
is
an
ocean.
Modern
surface-area
figures
are
approximate.
And
finally,
in
case
you
were
wondering
about
the
sources
used
for
these
maps
DwizKhalifa
has
you
coverd:
Here’s
one that
covers
quite
a
few
iterations
of
“the
Seven
Seas,”
and
I
find
the Wikipedia
article helpful
especially
for
elaborating
on
the
Arabian
list
(including
a
pretty
interesting
excerpt).
Another
source
can
be
found here (which,
as
a
another
redditor
pointed
out,
is
one
of
several
I
found
that
has
a
slightly
different
list
for
Greek
sources),
but
I
ended
up
drawing
from this
one by
the
Library
of
Congress.Of
course,
most
of
these
pages
themselves
just
say,
“Greek
literature”
and
whatnot.
But
the
justification
for
that
level
of
broadness
is
that,
well,
these
three
lists
in
particular
were
so
commonly
given
in
literature
of
their
time
and
place
that
there
is
no
one
single
“source”
to
cite
from
the
periods
in
question.
They
were,
seemingly,
nearly
ubiquitously
acknowledged
in
their
cultures.
Which
is
why
it’s
all
the
more
interesting
to
me
that
there
still
arised
such
a
diversity
of
lists
over
the
ages
in
spite
of
that.
What
do
you
think?
Go to Source
Author: Brilliant Maps