In early antiquity, fish were a very important source of food. This fresco is from the island of Thera (present-day Santorini, an island in the eastern Mediterranean) and was part of the wall decorations of a house dating from 1660 BC. The young man is bringing home his catch. Developments in sailing facilitated fishing in deeper water as well as in lakes. People either ate the fish or sold their catches to buy other foods.
