Travel - Exploration Reading Summary Pathfinders: A Global History of Exploration by Felipe Fernández-Armesto Reading Chapter 2 - Exploring the oceans about a thousand years ago · Starts by generally describing the world's oceans and the importance of their wind systems for navigation and travel. He emphasises how sea travel was important to cultural change, from densely populated isolated communities to connected communities across the seas. · Focus on period 1000 years ago and the first long-range exploration of the Polynesians, Inuit, Norse, Indian, Japanese, Javanese and Muslim cultures. · Uses archaeological and anthropological evidence. · Polynesian Exploration of the Pacific · Start 50,000 years ago - migrate from Southeast Asia to Australia and surrounding Islands. Exploration of surrounding regions began as early as second millennium BC. He says they know this because of a volcanic eruption around the same time which preserved evidence which matched that found on pacific islands. . They spread their culture as they travelled and colonised. As far a field as Fiji and Tonga. . He says they sailed directly into the wind in 'manoeuvrable [boats with], triangular sails' with small crews with limited food and water. · After establishing trade links with these islands, he says it was natural they began to explore further to Micronesia, Hawaii, New Zealand and Easter Island. . He explains a little of Polynesian culture in order to question if they found these islands by accident but says the winds and currents of these further islands means they were only found with purposeful travel. . The Arctic and the Atlantic · Warm spell in N America opened opportunity to migrate for the Inuit. These were a people comfortable on water as they were whale hunters. Their boats were light and allowed them to sail close to the coast (contrast to Norse travel). Reached Greenland in 12th century. · Norse had to 'make vast open sea crossings' across the Atlantic. It was claimed by in Iceland a lot of Norse land findings were the result of freak winds. They had limited technology. Navigators were skilled at using the sun to guess where they were and where to go. · Discusses Irish discovery of Iceland in 8th century by monks. · Indian Ocean: Monsoonal Routes · Established 'long range exchange in antiquity.' Story which suggests the first reference to a nautical chart was in the 5th century AD. · Mid 700s Javanese terrorise the Indian Ocean all the way to China.
· 10th century, 'extraordinary episode' Indonesians travelled to Madagascar beyond monsoon system. Unknown why they took such a risky journey with little hope of find way home. · Islam 7th-8th century conquest across Asia, began to record passageways in the Indian ocean. They dominated the ocean so much it became known as the 'Muslim lake.' · Uses a diary recorded exploration the harsh seas of Japan to show how accessible and advantageous the Indian Ocean was. . He says the amount of traffic on the Indian Ocean was higher than