The Age of Exploration

2

The Historical Setting for Exploration

• Europe wanted trade• World divided into

independent spheres• Limited previous

contact with the Americas had occurred

• VikingsVikings

3

Renaissance Ideas That Influenced Exploration

• Most educated men believed that the world was round

• There were certainly stories of other lands, but they were not focused on the Western Hemisphere

4

Economic Developments

• Trade routes expanded• Europeans developed a

taste for Asian goods• The development of

banking

The Royal Exchange, London

5

New TechnologyShips

• Caravels• Ship technology• Armaments

6

New TechnologyNavigation

• Astrolabe• Compass• Practical knowledge of

winds and currents

Astrolabe

7

CartographyEarly and Medieval Maps

Jerusalem maps

Mappa Mundi

Ptolemaic map

8

Late Medieval and Renaissance Cartography

Portolan map Fra Mauro’s map

9

Cartography and Projection

• Hipparchus and Ptolemy

• Mercator

Mercator map of Europe, 16th century

10

Motives for Exploration

SEARCH FOR RESOURCES AND LAND

Oceanic ResourcesWheat

Sugar