We trace the tortuous path by which a scattering of villages in a marshy lagoon, founded by refugees from violence and political breakdown, forged their own stable and cohesive independent republic which would last for a thousand years, and with it a splendrous city where East and West mingled, a sprawling trade network linking Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, and finally a waterborne empire that was the forerunner of the modern European colonial states.

Image: Detail of a woodcut illustration showing a view of Venice, by Reuwich & Schoffer, 1486.

Suggested Further Reading: Morris, "The Venetian Empire: A Sea Voyage"; Madden, "Venice: A New History"; Ferrarro, "Venice: A History of the Floating City."

Please sign on as a patron to hear patron-only tracks, such as the series on the Epic of Gilgamesh: https://www.patreon.com/c/user?u=5530632