Historical Patterns in Ancient and Contemporary Migration Phenomena in the Mediterranean Area

摘要

This research study is focused on exploring the trends and correlations that exist in the immigration patterns among various societies in the world and especially in the European cultures. The migration period contributed significantly to the beginning of the medieval and modern Europe in the Mediterranean world, hitherto dominated by the Roman Empire and by the vestiges of other, more ancient cultures. The rise and fall of the Roman Empire can be well depicted by the changes in population, which is not known exactly but could be estimated with reasonable precision. Present Europe faces a similar crisis caused by a great tide of migration across the world, including Europe. This article will further analyze the historical, recent population and migration databases on the clusters of immigration patterns to see if there is any meaningful analogy in the two phenomena separated by about two millennia. Our first question is whether can these movements be attributed to purely physical, especially economic factors and population forces or do they have to do with the mental and psychical states of the dominant societies of the time. The next question is whether there are any recognizable patterns in history, in the dynamics of society. By recognizing patterns we hope to stimulate discussion on the multidisciplinary approach to history, cultural typology, and semi-quantitative diachronic study of social phenomena.