Editing Aegean Sea (section)

==Name and etymology==
The name ''Aegaeus'', used by [[Late Latin]] authors, referred to [[Aegeus]], who was said to have jumped into that sea to drown himself (rather than throw himself from the Athenian acropolis, as told by some Greek authors). He was the father of [[Theseus]], the mythical king and founder-hero of [[Athens]]. Aegeus had told Theseus to put up white sails when returning if he was successful in killing the [[Minotaur]]. When Theseus returned, he forgot these instructions, and Aegeus thought his son had died, so he drowned himself in the sea.<ref>Hyginus, Fab. 43; Serv. Verg. A. 3.74; Scriptores rerum mythicarum Latini, ed. Bode, i. p. 117 (Second Vatican Mythographer 125).</ref>

The sea was known in [[Latin]] as ''Mare Aegaeum'' while under the control of the [[Roman Empire]]. The [[Republic of Venice|Venetians]], who ruled many Greek islands in the [[High Middle Ages|High]] and [[Late Middle Ages]], popularized the name ''Archipelago'' ({{langx|el|αρχιπέλαγος}}, meaning "main sea" or "chief sea"), a name that held on in many European countries until the [[early modern period]]. In some [[South Slavic languages]], the Aegean is called ''White Sea'' ({{langx|bg|Бяло море|Byalo more}}; {{langx|mk|Бело море|Belo more}}; {{lang-sr-Latn-Cyrl|separator=" / "|Belo more|Бело море}}).<ref>Zbornik Matice srpske za društvene nauke: (1961), Volumes 28–31, [https://books.google.com/books?id=GwIdAQAAMAAJ p.74] {{in lang|sr}}</ref> The [[Turkish language|Turkish]] name for the sea is ''Ege Denizi'', which is derived from the Greek name, and ''Adalar Denizi'' meaning "Sea of Islands".