In "The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II" (1949), Fernand Braudel organized his study of the past based on the category of region. Braudel argued that regions were the most meaningful units of historical analysis, as they could be seen as relatively self-contained entities that were shaped by their own unique histories, geography, and cultures. He also argued that regions could be studied at different scales, from the micro-region (such as a single village) to the macro-region (such as the entire Mediterranean basin).