Recently, I've gotten back into my passion for Ancient cultures and politics. I'm currently reading SPQR by Mary Beard and have read quite a few articles and some short books on Greece, The Middle East, and Northern Africa (particularly on the Carthaginians), but I keep struggling to link all of these events and cultures into one cohesive world that existed and interacted with each other at the same time. Are there any books or reading materials out there that don't focus so much on one culture/empire or the other, but rather give a comprehensive look at the Mediterranean's development as a whole?I'm especially interested in the much more ancient world that lead to the initial formation of all these great ancient peoples.
I highly recommend The Making of the Middle Sea: A History of the Mediterranean from the Beginning to the Emergence of the Classical World by Cyprian Broodbank, which covers exactly what you're looking for.
For the later periods especially, see The Great Sea: A Human History of the Mediterranean by David Abulafia.