The dominant narratives about the seas and maritime regions in European societies have usually placed them at the periphery, distant from the social and political centres, and often perceived as empty spaces akin to deserts: they could be crossed but not used. Therefore, most categories to examine societies have been designed from a land-oriented perspective and with the focus on land-based societies. Changing this perspective and putting the sea - the periphery - in the centre challenges traditional narratives, leading to new, enriching interpretations. Following this path, this volume re-envisions water beyond its immanent physical character - as a space ascribed with various roles and functions, both bridging and dividing: a borderland of communication, a space to govern and to invest with symbolic meaning