Geographical discoveries and exploration of Eurasia. The territory of Eurasia has been inhabited by different peoples since ancient times. Each of them carried out the development and study of the continent, guided by their own goals and needs, gradually expanding the range of territories known to them.

Do you know that...
The ancient Chinese (2nd millennium BC) knew the adjacent lands of East, Central and Southeast Asia. The ancient Indians reached the Himalayas and traded with the countries of Mesopotamia and Indochina. The inhabitants of Mesopotamia (the Tigris and Euphrates valleys) - Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians - explored and developed Mesopotamia, the coast of the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula. Thanks to the Phoenician sailors who inhabited the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, Western civilizations gained an understanding of the existence of parts of the world - Asia and Europe. The history of the development of the seas is reflected in the myths of Ancient Greece. The ancient Greek scientist and traveler Herodotus (5th century BC) visited Western Asia, the Caucasus, the Balkan Peninsula, and the Northern Black Sea region. Thanks to the military campaigns of Alexander the Great (IV century BC), Europeans penetrated into Central Asia and the Middle East. Arab scientists left information that told Europeans about the interior of Arabia, Iran, Central Asia, India, Indochina and the Malay Archipelago.

At the end of the 2nd century. BC e. The Great Silk Road was formed- an end-to-end intracontinental trade route connecting China, India, the Middle East and Europe. This extensive system of caravan routes existed for more than 1.5 thousand years (see figure).

The main goods on the Great Silk Road there were raw silk and silk fabrics. China exported porcelain and tea. Caravans carrying wool and cotton fabrics came from the Middle East and Central Asia. From South and Southeast Asia - with spices for preserving food and making medicines. Europeans paid for eastern goods in gold, and the Great Silk Road acted as a channel for “pumping” precious metals from Europe to the East.

In the 8th century active penetration into the north and west of Europe began
Viking-Normans. The path “from the Varangians to the Greeks”, which passed along the rivers,
connected the Baltic and Black seas and was important for the development
trade relations between mainland countries (see figure on the right).

Initially, the routes were used by the Normans for predatory raids, then they became important trade routes between Northern Europe and the rich Byzantium. As the Varangians developed their routes, they colonized the adjacent lands inhabited by Slavic tribes.

Geographical knowledge expanded thanks to the travels of diplomats and merchants. One of them was the Russian merchant Afanasy Nikitin (15th century), who made a long trading trip to Persia and India.

In his diary “Walking across Three Seas” Nikitin talks about the morals of the Indians, notes where “silk is born”, where “diamonds are born”, describes the state of the army, the method of waging war. Nikitin marvels: “...there are seventy-four faiths in India, but people of different faiths do not drink with each other, do not eat, do not marry.”

The most important stage in the development of the continent was era of great geographical discoveries. At this time, Europeans discovered the route to Asia through the Pacific Ocean, “blueprints” of the East European Plain were created, the study of Central and Eastern Siberia and the northwestern coast of the Pacific Ocean began, and the strait separating Eurasia and North America was discovered.
The Russian Geographical Society was headed for a long time Petr Petrovich Semenov-Tyan-Shansky- the first explorer of the Tien Shan mountain system. Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky The ranges and lakes of Central Asia were mapped. Vladimir Afanasyevich Obruchev also studied this region. The contribution of natives of Belarus to the study of the mainland has been great. The founder of the scientific study of Lake Baikal was Benedikt Ivanovich Dybovsky. Andrey Ippolitovich Vilkitsky explored northern coast of Eurasia. Studying Lake Baikal and the mountains of the Baikal region Ivan Dementievich Chersky. Native of Belarusian land Otto Yulievich Schmidt explored the glaciers of the Pamirs, made several expeditions to Franz Josef Land and Severnaya Zemlya. In 1937, he organized an expedition to the North Pole to create the first drifting station there.

In 1933. to test the possibility of sailing in the Arctic Ocean, transport ships were equipped steamship "Chelyuskin" led by O. Yu. Schmidt and V. I. Voronin. In unusually heavy ice conditions, the ice tore the side and the Chelyuskin sank. There were 104 people on the ice, including 10 women and 2 children. The epic life of the Chelyuskinites in the ice “Schmidt Camp” and their rescue by the pilots shocked the whole world. They wrote abroad that the name of O. Yu. Schmidt was “inscribed in the golden book of science.”

Modern geographical study of Eurasia focused on the development of its natural resources. Observation, assessment and forecast of the state of the natural environment in connection with human economic activities are carried out.

Author Victor Kuznentsov asked a question in the section Other things about cities and countries

Opening of Routes to Asia, how many were there? when was it opened and by whom? (meaning the most ancient discoveries by Man.) and received the best answer

Answer from Helga[guru]
The initial stage of Asian exploration.
Campaigns of Alexander the Great (4th century BC), trade between Egypt and India, the presence of a trade route (“Silk Road”) from China to Western Asia
The second stage of Asian exploration. Exploration of Asia by scientists and travelers of the East (7-17 centuries).
Buddhist monk Xuan-Tsang, presented information on geography, ethnography and history in “Notes on Western Countries.” Ibn Khordadbeh (9-10 centuries), Biruni, Masudi. In 9-11 centuries. - Muqadassi, Ibn Sina, Ibn Fadlan and Ibn Rusta, Idrisi (12th century), Ibn Battuta.
European exploration of Asia.
Rubruk, undertook a trip for diplomatic purposes to Mongolia. M. Polo (1271-95), who lived in China for about 17 years. The Venetian merchant and traveler M. Conti, who traveled around India in 1424, visited the islands of Ceylon, Sumatra, Borneo, Java. In 1468-74, the Russian merchant A. Nikitin undertook a trip to India.
in 1497-99 (Vasco da Gama), visited Malacca, Macau, Philippines, Japan. In 1618-19, the Siberian Cossack I. Petlin visited Mongolia and China, in 1690-92 the German doctor E. Kaempfer visited Japan. Study of Asia by Russian explorers.
By the end of the 16th century. , after Ermak’s campaign, Western Siberia became known. In 1639 I. Yu. Moskvitin with a detachment of Cossacks reached the coast of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. In 1632-38, a detachment under the leadership of E. P. Khabarov studied the Lena River basin. In 1649-53 he crossed the Stanovoy Ridge, traveled to the Amur region, and was the first to draw up a map of it. In 1643-46, a detachment of V.D. Poyarkov passed along the Lena, Aldan, Zeya and Amur rivers, who also presented drawings of the routes taken and collected valuable information about the Far East. In 1648, the expedition of S.I. Dezhnev circled the Chukotka Peninsula and discovered the strait separating Asia from America, and the cape, which is the extreme northeastern point of Asia. The Siberian Cossack V.V. Atlasov traveled through Kamchatka in 1697-99, reached the Northern Kuril Islands and compiled a description (“skask”) of the discovered lands.
The third stage of Asian exploration (18th - mid-19th centuries).
By decree of Peter I, the Kamchatka expeditions were equipped, led by V. Bering, with A. Chirikov as an assistant. The first expedition (1725-30) passed overland through Siberia to Okhotsk, and then, after the construction of ships, Bering went to sea, rounded the shores of Kamchatka and Chukotka, discovered the island of St. Lawrence and passed through the strait that now bears his name. The Second Kamchatka Expedition (1733-41), also known as the Great Northern Expedition due to the scope of its work, occupies an outstanding place in the history of the study of the Arctic and northern regions of Asia. The Asian shores of the Arctic Ocean were mapped, the Commander, Aleutian and other islands were discovered, and the shores of Alaska were examined. Separate detachments were led by the Laptev brothers, V.V. Pronchishchev, S.I. Chelyuskin (whose names are immortalized on the geographical map). Missionaries made a great contribution to the study of Central Asia, giving at the beginning of the 18th century. description of China, Mongolia and Tibet. At the end of the 18th century. Russian traveler and naturalist P. S. Pallas explored Eastern Siberia and Altai. In 1800-05, Y. Sannikov discovered and described the Stolbovaya and Faddeevsky islands of the Novosibirsk archipelago, and suggested the existence of Sannikov land to the north of it. In 1811, V. M. Golovnin undertook a trip to the Kuril Islands, compiled an inventory and map of them. During the expedition, he was captured by the Japanese. In 1821-23, P. F. Anzhu explored the coast of the Arctic Ocean (between the mouths of the Olenek and Indigirka rivers), performing a number of astronomical and geomagnetic observations. F. P. Wrangel in 1820-24 led an expedition to study the northern shores of Eastern Siberia. According to information received from the Chukchi, he determined the position of the island in the Chukchi Sea, which was later named after him. In 1829, at the invitation of the Russian government, A. Humboldt undertook a trip to the Urals, Altai, and the southwestern part of Siberia; F. P. Litke, during a trip around the world in 1826-29, explored the eastern coast of Asia and Kamchatka.
The fourth stage of Asian Exploration (mid-19th - early 20th centuries).
further see in the comments
Victor Kuznentsov
Sage
(19099)
Hello Helga!...Thank you for your informative and informative answer. I learned a lot of interesting things for myself. To be honest, I didn’t know this question, or I knew only superficially. I think that for many users this question will be a revelation. Thank you again. Come visit me on my page. I will be very glad. Victor Kuznetsov. Sailor.

Answer from Ňupanka[guru]
Personally, I only remember the Silk Road

Answer from Laziz Baratov[guru]
why to Asia and not Europe? Usually America is discovered, Asia is the cradle of humanity, humanity was born in Africa, and grew up in Asia. and no one in Asia opened the road, it was Asia that paved the way to Europe. Mesopotamia, Interfluve, Babylon, Persia, China, India - these are the most ancient countries with a high civilization, and Europe was sleeping at that time, but woke up in time and overtook Asia

Answer from Yorgey Safonov[guru]
Why did they open them when no one closed them? -the continent is called Eurasia - it has been united since the split of Gondwana: no one forbids walking back and forth... and the ancients were not so stupid at all - they knew all the roads...

Answer from Dmitry Borisov[guru]

History of the study Initial stageLimited information on the geography of Asia was known to the ancient peoples of Mesopotamia. The campaigns of Alexander the Great (4th century BC) - trade between Egypt and India, the presence of a trade route ("Silk Road") from China to Western Asia contributed to the gradual accumulation of information about Asia. However, deeper knowledge about this part of the land was obtained later. Second stage (7th-17th centuries) Exploration of Asia by scientists and travelers of the East In the 7th century. the Buddhist monk Xuan-Tsang, who wandered through Central and Central Asia and India, presented information on the geography, ethnography and history of the countries he saw in one of his main works, “Notes on Western Countries,” completed in 648. Arab traveler and geographer Ibn Khordadbeh (9 -10 centuries) described the provinces of Western Asia. Biruni compiled a work on India, Masudi gave a geographical and historical description of Muslim countries, India, China, Palestine, Ceylon. In the 9th-11th centuries. various regions of Central and Western Asia were studied by Mukadassi, Ibn Sina, Ibn Fadlan and Ibn Rust. The Arab traveler Idrisi (12th century), who lived most of his life in Sicily, described Asia Minor, which he visited, in a consolidated geographical work. In the 14th century Ibn Battuta, who visited many Asian countries, wrote a large work in which he gave a very colorful and vivid description of these countries, including information about minerals. exploration of Asia by Europeans in the 12th-13th centuries. Europeans who carried out the Crusades collected information about the countries of Central and South Asia. In 1253-55, a Flemish traveler, the monk Rubruk, undertook a diplomatic journey to Mongolia. The report on this most significant (before M. Polo) journey of a European to Asia contained valuable information on the geography of Central Asia (in particular, it indicated that the Caspian Sea is not a sea, but a lake). A significant contribution to the development of ideas about Asia was made by the traveler M. Polo (1271-95), who lived in China for about 17 years. “The Book” (1298), recorded from his words in a Genoese prison, where he was sent during the war between Venice and Genoa, first introduced Europeans to Persia, Armenia, China, India, etc. It was a reference book for such great navigators as Columbus , Vasco da Gama, Magellan and others. The Venetian merchant and traveler M. Conti, who traveled around India in 1424, visiting the islands of Ceylon, Sumatra, Borneo, Java, on behalf of the Pope in 1444 dictated a report on this journey. In 1468-74, the Russian merchant A. Nikitin undertook a trip to India. His travel notes, containing many-sided observations, were published under the title “Walking across Three Seas.” In the mid-15th century. Europeans began to look for sea routes to Asia. Portuguese sailors reached India in 1497-99 (Vasco da Gama), visited Malacca, Macau, the Philippines, and Japan. In the second half of the 16th-17th centuries. The Dutch, British, and Spaniards continued to penetrate into the countries of South Asia. In 1618-19, the Siberian Cossack I. Petlin visited Mongolia and China, plotted the route on a map, and outlined what he saw in a book translated into English, French and other languages. One of the first Europeans to visit Japan in 1690-92 was the German naturalist and doctor E. Kaempfer, who collected extensive material about the nature, history and life of the people. His book, published in 1728 in London, has long served as the main source of information about Japan. exploration of Asia by Russian explorers During this period, the greatest contribution to the exploration of the northern regions of Asia, where Europeans did not penetrate, was made by Russian explorers. By the end of the 16th century. , after Ermak’s campaign, Western Siberia became generally known

GREAT GEOGRAPHICAL DISCOVERIES, a conventional term adopted mainly in historical literature, denoting the largest geographical discoveries of European travelers in the 15th - mid-17th centuries. In foreign literature, the period of the Great Geographical Discoveries is usually limited to the mid-15th - mid-16th centuries. In Russian literature, the Great Geographical Discoveries are divided into two periods: the first - the mid-15th - mid-16th centuries, the second - the mid-16th - mid-17th centuries.

Portuguese exploration of the western coast of Africa.

Great geographical discoveries became possible thanks to the successes of European science and technology. By the 15th century, sailing ships (caravels) that were reliable enough for ocean navigation had been created, the compass and sea charts had been improved, and the experience necessary for long-distance navigation had been acquired. A major role in the Great Geographical Discoveries was played by the established idea that the Earth was spherical, with which the idea of ​​the possibility of a western sea route to India across the Atlantic Ocean was associated. The Turkish conquests also forced the search for new trade routes, which blocked traditional merchant ties with the East through the Mediterranean Sea. In overseas lands, Europeans hoped to find wealth: precious stones and metals, exotic goods and spices, ivory and walrus tusks.

The Portuguese were the first to launch systematic expeditions in the Atlantic Ocean. Portugal's activity at sea was predetermined by its geographical position in the far west of Europe and the historical conditions that developed after the end of the Portuguese Reconquista. All the strength and energy of the Portuguese kingdom was aimed at searching for new lands overseas, on the African coast. It was there that the Portuguese kings saw the source of the future glory and wealth of their state.

Traditionally, Portugal's successes at sea are associated with the name of Prince Henry the Navigator (1394-1460). He was not only an organizer of sea expeditions, but also seriously engaged in the development of open lands. In 1416, the Portuguese sailor G. Velho, following south along Africa, discovered the Canary Islands, in 1419 the Portuguese nobles Zarco and Vaz Teixeira discovered the islands of Madeira and Porto Santo, in 1431 V. Cabral - the Azores.

During the 15th century, Portuguese caravels explored the sea route along the west coast of Africa, reaching increasingly southern latitudes. In 1482-1486, Diogo Can (Cao) crossed the equator, discovered the mouth of the Congo River and walked along the coast of Africa to Cape Cross. Kahn discovered the Namibian deserts, thereby disproving the legend that had existed since the time of Ptolemy about the impassability of the tropics. In 1487-1488, Bartolomeu Dias made a new unprecedented voyage to the south. He reached the southern tip of Africa and circled it, discovering the Cape of Good Hope. Dias' voyage opened up the prospect of establishing a sea route to India around Africa for the Portuguese.

Opening of sea routes to America and India.

The successes of the Portuguese aroused interest in maritime expeditions in neighboring Spain. Based on the idea that the Earth was spherical, the navigator Christopher Columbus proposed trying to reach India by sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean. The Spanish government allocated him three caravels (the largest with a displacement of 280 tons), and in 1492 an expedition led by Columbus reached one of the Bahamas, thereby discovering America. In 1592-1504, he made four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean, discovered the Greater Antilles and part of the Lesser Antilles, the coast of South and Central America. Columbus died in 1506, fully confident that he had discovered a new route to India.

News of the Spanish discovery of new lands in the west stimulated the efforts of the Portuguese. In 1497-1498, Vasco da Gama circumnavigated Africa on four ships and, with the help of Arab pilots, reached real India. In Spain and Portugal, marine expeditions were equipped annually, which made overseas voyages and discovered new lands. Other European countries also became interested in overseas countries. In 1497-1498, England equipped expeditions led by the Italian navigator John Cabot, who reached the shores of North America near the island of Newfoundland. In 1500, the Portuguese squadron under the command of Pedro Cabral, heading to India, was greatly diverted due to the equatorial current and reached Brazil, which Cabral mistook for an island. Then he continued his voyage, circumnavigated Africa and proceeded through the Mozambique Channel to India. Like previous travelers, Cabral considered the land he discovered in the west to be part of Asia.

The travels of the navigator Amerigo Vespucci were important for understanding the essence of the discovery of Christopher Columbus. In 1499-1504, he made four voyages to the shores of America, first as part of a Spanish expedition led by Alonso Ojeda, and then under the Portuguese flag. Having compared the data received, and Spanish and Portuguese navigators discovered the entire northern coast of South America and its eastern coast up to 25° south latitude, Vespucci came to the conclusion that the discovered lands were not Asia, but a new continent, and proposed calling it the “New World.” In 1507, the German cartographer and publisher Martin Waldseemüller, in the preface to Vespucci’s book, proposed calling the “New World” in honor of Amerigo - America (without Vespucci’s knowledge) and this name came into use. In 1538 it was applied to Mercator's map and to South and North America.

Conquest of America by the conquistadors. Voyage of Magellan.

John Cabot's explorations in North America were continued by his son Sebastian Cabot. In 1506-1509, leading English expeditions, he tried to find the so-called Northwest Passage to India and managed to reach Hudson Bay. Having failed to find a short route to India, England showed little interest in the open lands overseas.

In 1513, the Spanish expedition of Vasco Nunez de Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama and reached the shores of the Pacific Ocean. The difference between America and Asia was finally confirmed by Ferdinand Magellan, who carried out the first circumnavigation of the world (1519-1521), which became practical evidence of the sphericity of the Earth. The expedition led by Magellan explored the southeastern part of South America, discovered the strait between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans (the Strait of Magellan) and sailed through the southern part of the Pacific Ocean. Magellan visited the Mariana and Philippine Islands (where he died in a skirmish with the natives). Of the 239 people who set sail with him, 21 returned to Europe. This expedition established the presence of a huge ocean between America and Asia, and gave ideas about the relative sizes of land and sea on the globe.

In 1513-1525, the Spanish conquistadors J. Ponce de Leon, F. Cordova, J. Grijalva discovered the entire eastern coast of South and Central America, the Gulf Coast, and the Florida Peninsula. Hernan Cortes conquered Mexico, the power of the Spanish king was established in the Caribbean islands and Central America. The search for gold, the mythical country of Eldorado, led the conquistadors far into the depths of the American continent. In 1526-1530, Sebastian Cabot, who switched to Spanish service, explored the lower reaches of the Parana River and discovered the lower reaches of the Paraguay River. In the second quarter of the 16th century, F. Pizarro, D. Almagro, P. Valdivia conquered Peru and Chile; Francisco Orellana sailed the Amazon from the Andes to the mouth in 1542. By 1552, the Spaniards had explored the entire Pacific coast of South America, discovered the largest rivers of the continent (Amazon, Orinoco, Parana, Paraguay), and explored the Andes from 10° north latitude to 40° south latitude.

In the second quarter of the 16th century, French navigators also achieved significant success. G. Verrazano (1524) and J. Cartier (1534-1535) discovered the eastern coast of North America and the St. Lawrence River. In 1540-1542, the Spaniards E. Soto and F. Coronado traveled to the Southern Appalachians and the Southern Rocky Mountains, to the basins of the Colorado and Mississippi rivers.

Russian explorers. Northeast and Northwest passages.

The new period of great geographical discoveries begins at the end of the 16th century. If previously the leading role was played by Spanish and Portuguese navigators, then from now on representatives of other countries also play an equal role with them. Holland was particularly active, achieving independence from Spain and quickly becoming a leading maritime trading power.

The honor of discovering Northeast Asia and the vast expanses of Siberia belongs to Russian explorers. For a long time, the Pomors, who inhabited the White Sea coast, went on long voyages on small sailing boats, discovered the shores of the Arctic, the islands of the Arctic Ocean (Grumant). After the conquest of the Kazan Khanate, the Russian state was able to begin expansion to the east. In 1582-1585, Ermak Timofeevich, crossing the Ural Mountains, defeated the troops of the Tatar Khan Kuchum, thereby beginning the development of Siberia. In 1587, the city of Tobolsk was founded, which for a long time remained the capital of Russian Siberia. In the north of Western Siberia, on the Taz River, the city of Mangazeya was founded in 1601, a fur trade center and a stronghold for further advancement to the east. Russian explorers - Cossacks and servicemen - discovered the basins of the Yenisei and Lena rivers, walked all of Siberia from west to east, and in 1639 I. Yu. Moskvitin reached the coast of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. By the middle of the 17th century, K. Kurochkin, M. Stadukhin, I. Perfilyev, I. Rebrov traced the course of all the great Siberian rivers. Vasily Poyarkov and Erofey Khabarov in 1649-1653 with their troops went to the Amur. Explorers walked around the entire northern coast of Asia, discovering the Yamal, Taimyr, and Chukotka peninsulas. The expedition of Fedot Popov and Semyon Dezhnev was the first to cross the Bering Strait, which separates Asia and North America. In 1697-1699, Vladimir Atlasov’s campaign against Kamchatka completed the discoveries of Russian explorers in Siberia.

During this period, the minds of sailors in northern European countries were dominated by the idea of ​​opening a direct sea route to Tropical Asia from Northern Europe. It was assumed that such a path should exist somewhere in the east - the Northeast Passage, or in the west - the Northwest Passage. Attempts to find a new route to Asia led to intensive study of the North Atlantic and Arctic. English and Dutch sailors played a leading role in the search for the Northeast Passage. The Dutch navigator Willem Barents in 1594 walked along the western coast of Novaya Zemlya to its northern tip, and in 1596 reached Spitsbergen. During these voyages, the Northern Sea Route showed little promise, but a direct trade route was established from Northwestern Europe to Russia through Arkhangelsk.

From 1576 to 1631, English navigators M. Frobisher, D. Davis, G. Hudson, W. Baffin undertook an energetic search for the Northwest Passage. John Davis in 1583-1587 conducted three voyages in the waters of the North Atlantic, discovered the strait between Greenland and America (Davis Strait), and explored the coast of the Labrador Peninsula. Henry Hudson made four expeditions to North America in 1607-1611. A hundred years after Sebastian Cabot, he again passed through the strait between Labrador and Baffin Island into a vast gulf in the interior of North America. Later, both the strait and the bay were named after Hudson. A river in eastern North America is also named after him, at the mouth of which the city of New York later arose. Hudson's fate ended tragically; in the spring of 1611, the mutinous crew of his ship landed him and his teenage son in a boat in the middle of the ocean, where they disappeared without a trace. William Baffin sailed in the Arctic waters in 1612-1616: he made expeditions to the shores of Spitsbergen, explored the Hudson The bay and sea, later named after him, discovered a number of islands in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, moving along the western coast of Greenland and reaching 78° north latitude.

In the first quarter of the 17th century, Europeans began to explore North America. English, Dutch, and French settlements appeared on its Atlantic coast. At first, France achieved the greatest success in this region, due in no small part to the activities of the first governor of Canada, Samuel Champlain. In 1605-1616, he not only explored part of the eastern coast of North America, but also traveled deep into the continent: he discovered the Northern Appalachians, climbed up the St. Lawrence River to the Great Lakes and reached Lake Huron. By 1648, the French had discovered all five Great Lakes.

Discovery of Australia. The significance of the Great Geographical Discoveries.

At the same time, at the beginning of the 17th century, European sailors penetrated the most distant part of the world from Europe - the areas located south of Southeast Asia. The Spaniard Luis Torres discovered the southern coast of New Guinea in 1606 and passed through the strait separating Asia and Australia (Torres Strait). In the same 1606, the Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon discovered Australia (west coast of the Cape York Peninsula). In 1642-1642, the Dutchman Abel Tasman made a series of voyages in this area and discovered Tasmania, New Zealand, Fiji, and part of the coast of Northern and Western Australia. Tasman identified Australia as a single landmass and named it New Holland. But Holland did not have enough resources to explore the new continent, and a century later it had to be rediscovered.

Great geographical discoveries had world-historical significance. The contours of the inhabited continents were established, most of the earth's surface was explored, and an idea was obtained of the shape of the Earth as a huge ball and its size. The great geographical discoveries gave impetus to the development of not only geography itself, but many other areas of natural science, providing extensive new material for botany, zoology, and ethnography. As a result of the Great Geographical Discoveries, Europeans were first introduced to a number of new agricultural crops (potatoes, maize, tomatoes, tobacco).

As a result of the discovery of new countries and new trade routes by Europeans, trade acquired a global character, and there was a manifold increase in the goods in circulation. The movement of trade routes from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean contributed to the rise of some countries (England, Holland) and the decline of others (trading republics in Italy). The colonial system formed after the Great Geographical Discoveries became one of the levers for the initial accumulation of capital; at the same time, the flow of gold, silver and precious metals pouring into Europe from America caused the Price Revolution.

How people discovered their land Anatoly Nikolaevich Tomilin

Chapter three. How Asia was discovered

How did Asian dating begin?

The areas of ancient civilizations in Asia were separated from each other by barren deserts and high mountains. And there were no roads there at all. Even on the flat steppe, rarely did anyone dare to set out on the road. In the steppe there are nomads. If you meet, don't expect mercy. This is probably why it was so difficult to travel from state to state, from one historical region to another.

True, archaeologists occasionally find things in Western countries, for example, from Ancient China or India, but it is difficult to say how they got to Europe. The ancient Chinese traded with Greece and Rome through intermediaries, along a chain. From one hand to another, from another to another. And these intermediaries were different peoples.

But gradually, little by little, more and more information accumulated among the peoples. First they learned about their closest neighbors, then about those who lived next to their neighbors, and so on... Even before the beginning of our era, the Chinese knew, for example, the Korean Peninsula in the east, they knew the Japanese islands, the islands of Taiwan and Hainan in East China and South China. -Chinese seas. And in 138 BC the first Chinese journey to the far West took place. And it happened like this...

For a long time, the Chinese, who lived between the Yellow and Yangtze rivers in the lands of the North China Plain, suffered from the raids of the cruel nomadic Huns. No matter how hard the military leaders tried, the Chinese soldiers, recruited from the poor, could not cope with the Hun cavalry. And the Huns seemed to be born on horseback. With a whoop and a scream, they flew into the villages and just as suddenly disappeared, leaving behind blood, death and destruction.

The Chinese emperors tried to conclude alliances of “peace and kinship” with the Huns. They gave pampered princesses in marriage to wild Hun leaders. They tried to pay tribute. They built Wan-li-chang-cheng - the Great Stone Wall more than four thousand kilometers long... Nothing helped.

The Huns took away beautiful princesses. They took tribute. But the raids did not stop. No walls were a hindrance to them...

The advisers of the Chinese emperors thought for a long time: what to do? Probably only born nomads are capable of fighting the Huns. And therefore, we need to look for allies. It was then that the decision arose to send an embassy to the neighboring people - the Yuezhi. The Yuezhi were similar to the Huns in many ways. They also wandered and spoke an incomprehensible language. But like the Chinese, they suffered a lot of insults from the Huns.

Early in the morning on the appointed day, one hundred horsemen rode out in pairs from the gates of the imperial palace. Ahead of everyone, on a magnificent horse, pranced a man in rich clothes. He was accompanied by a short Hun, tenaciously sitting on a nondescript, shaggy-legged horse. These were the imperial ambassador Zhang Qian, an officer of the palace guard, and his servant and bodyguard Tanyi. Tanyi was indeed a Hun by birth. But he had lived in China for a long time, served as a translator and helped the owner in everything.

The riders rode past rice fields and flowering plains until they appeared on the hills of the Wan-li-chang-cheng tower. Seeing the imperial seal, the guards opened the iron gates, and the emperor's envoys, one after another, got out of the Celestial Empire. But it’s clear that happiness has turned away from them. Before the tops of the watchtowers had time to disappear from sight, the Huns swooped in. Resistance was futile. Obeying the order, Zhang Qian turned his horse to follow the leader of the squad.

Addition

Asia is the largest part of the world, almost a third of the entire landmass. In the north it begins far beyond the Arctic Circle. The Arctic Ocean, encased in a white shell, guards its northern borders.

In the south, the Asian islands go beyond the hot equator, and the green waves of the warm Indian Ocean wash their shores.

In the east, the borders of Asia are guarded by the formidable waves of the Pacific Ocean. In the west are the Ural Mountains.

The Chinese embassy would have had a bad time if not for Tanyi. He talked with the Shanyu - the Hun leader - and soon his master and all his companions were released from custody. Moreover: the leader of the Huns ordered the young Zhang Qian to marry the daughter of one of his confidants and granted him almost complete freedom. Almost - because the imperial ambassador could no longer return home or continue his journey...

Zhang Qian lived among the Huns for ten long years. During this time, he wandered with them a lot, learned their language and collected a lot of information not only about the nomads themselves, but also about those who lived next to them and about whom they had never heard of in China before him. He learned that the Huns defeated the Yuezhi and pushed them back to Central Asia.

The day came when Zhang Qian, along with his wife and little son, accompanied by part of his retinue and the faithful Tanya, finally fled from the Huns. With great difficulty, he found, moving from one people to another, the leader of the Yuezhi and offered him a military alliance on behalf of his emperor. But the Yuezhi did not want to hear about a new war. Trading is a different matter. And they told Zhang Qian about the ancient trade routes that passed north and south of the Tien Shan.

Zhang Qian waited a whole year to see if the stubborn leader would change his decision. Not wait. But he studied the country well, and when the time came to pack back, he could consider himself the most knowledgeable person in the geography of Central and Central Asia.

On the way back, Zhang Qian decided to go through the northern border of the Pamirs. He called these places the Onion Mountains - so many wild onions grew there.

However, soon the Huns again blocked the way for the thinned embassy. Only a year later did the faithful Tanya bring his master and his family out of captivity. Without funds or supplies, they wandered east again. It’s good that Tanya had a bow and arrows in her hands. Without fail, he beat unafraid birds and animals, obtaining food for a small caravan.

Tears welled up in Zhang Qian's eyes when, around the last bend, he saw a battlement made of wild stone. This is where the homeland began.

His journey lasted almost thirteen years. The young officer was completely forgotten both at home and at court. But the more joyful the meeting was. Zhang Qian received the princely title. The emperor appointed him commander of a large detachment and... immediately sent him to fight against the Huns.

At first, Zhang Qian had no luck. But military happiness is changeable, and with it the favor of the emperor changes. Envious courtiers tried to slander the traveler. And so, demoted and disgraced, he was sentenced to death.

All the accumulated wealth was spent on paying off death. Until recently rich and noble, Zhang Qian turned out to be a poor man, deprived of titles and privileges. However, this life did not last long. Soon the emperor again needed a knowledgeable person to head the embassy to the western lands. He summoned Zhang Qian, hastily “forgave” him and sent him outside the state. The imperial ambassador once again toured the places he had visited. He explored the Central Tien Shan and sent his assistants to India.

Almost ninety years old, Zhang Qian returned to the Chinese capital. Here he finally found peace after a stormy life.

Years passed, and the power of the Huns was broken. Traveling through the lands of Central and Central Asia has become safer. Following in the footsteps of Zhang Qian, Chinese merchants, ambassadors and scouts flocked to the west. The Chinese discovered the Roman Empire and began a brisk trade with the Romans in silk and other goods. The Great Silk Road stretched from the shores of the Pacific Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea.

From the book Bogatyr Rus' [Pagan Titans and Demigods] author Prozorov Lev Rudolfovich

author

Chapter two. How Europe was discovered On the land of Hellas, Greece is a mountainous country with a very rugged coast and a lot of bays and islets. The slopes of the mountains run down and rise in all directions, forming small valleys between them. Many valleys have access to the sea. In these

From the book How People Discovered Their Land author Tomilin Anatoly Nikolaevich

Chapter Four. How Africa was discovered Traveling in time and space Based on natural conditions, Africa is divided into a number of large regions. They differ in their history and in the peoples inhabiting these areas. In a word, I suggest you first make

From the book How People Discovered Their Land author Tomilin Anatoly Nikolaevich

Chapter five. How America was discovered Which of the inhabitants of the old world was the first to discover the new world Everyone knows that America was discovered by Admiral Christopher Columbus, the great navigator who was the first European to sail here in 1492. That's what they say. In fact, history

From the book How People Discovered Their Land author Tomilin Anatoly Nikolaevich

Chapter six. How Australia was discovered The legend of the southern continent For a long time, geographers were very confused by the fact that all the land known to them turned out to be concentrated in the north of the Earth, and water in the south. This distribution made the Earth, in the eyes of ancient scientists, unstable. After all

From the book How People Discovered Their Land author Tomilin Anatoly Nikolaevich

Chapter seven. How the ice continent was discovered In search of the southernmost continent I have already told you that two thousand years ago ancient philosophers assumed that in the Southern Hemisphere there should be a huge landmass - the Southern Continent. This idea lived for centuries, grew

by Harold Lamb

From the book Suleiman. Sultan of the East by Harold Lamb

Chapter 4. CAMPAIGNS TO ASIA The mystery of the poem Seven years ago, in June 1534, Suleiman was not yet bitter against the Europeans. His goals for Europe remained the same. But something drew him to Asia and made him essentially an Asian. After the fourteen years' war in Europe, Suleiman

From the book Russian Roots. We Hold the Sky [Three bestsellers in one volume] author Prozorov Lev Rudolfovich

Chapter 2 How scientists discovered epics Educated Russian society really had to discover the epic of its own people, like some unknown country. However, at the time of the emergence of historical science, this country did not arouse much interest. Both Tatishchev and

From the book Russia - England: the unknown war, 1857–1907 author Shirokorad Alexander Borisovich

Chapter 7. Penetration of Russians into Central Asia Constant raids of nomadic hordes in the south of Western Siberia forced Emperor Nicholas I to order the Orenburg Governor-General Count V.A. Perovsky to take retaliatory measures. In December 1839, Perovsky with a detachment of three thousand,

From the book Asian Christs author Morozov Nikolay Alexandrovich

Chapter X. Buddhism came to Asia not from the Himalayan, but from the Carpathian Mountains Yes! Modern historical science, if it wants to become a truly science, must break with such ideas once and for all. If brilliant people were often born in remote provinces, then they

From the book History of the Far East. East and Southeast Asia by Crofts Alfred

Chapter 4 THE EUROPEAN INVASION OF EAST ASIA According to the sailors who sail the Ocean-Sea and know the truth, there are 7448 islands in it, most of which are inhabited. I will add that all these islands have no valuable trees. There are many precious spices here. Amount of gold and

From the book Different Humanities author Burovsky Andrey Mikhailovich

Chapter 4. How ancient people were discovered The eternal tragedy of science: ugly facts kill beautiful hypotheses. T. Huxley The most important thing: throughout the first half of the 20th century, paleoanthropology developed. All over the globe, literally several dozen people were engaged in it - but

From the book Suleiman the Magnificent. The greatest sultan of the Ottoman Empire. 1520-1566 by Harold Lamb

Chapter 4 CAMPAIGNS TO ASIA The mystery of the poem Seven years ago, in June 1534, Suleiman was not yet bitter against the Europeans. His goals for Europe remained the same. But something drew him to Asia and made him essentially an Asian. After the fourteen years' war in Europe, Suleiman

When studying the question of who discovered Eurasia, it is impossible to name one person. This continent is so large that at different periods of history in different places it was explored by different people. Let's find out who took part in the most important expeditions, thanks to which humanity has a complete picture of the world around them.

History of Eurasian exploration

Eurasia is the largest continent on the globe, characterized by a wide variety of relief and climatic conditions. It consists of two parts of the world, which were traditionally separated historically - Asia and Europe.

Eurasia is the cradle of many ancient civilizations that developed on the continent over many millennia. The scientific and cultural heritage of Ancient China, India, Babylon, and Assyria laid the foundation for the scientific potential of modern times.

Rice. 1. Ancient civilizations of Eurasia.

The impetus for the development of the mainland was the following factors:

• The need to develop trade relations. So at the end of the 3rd century. BC e. The first trade route was formed, connecting China, Europe, India and the Middle East.
• Military raids, seizure of territories and strengthening the power of warring tribes.

Eurasia was gradually discovered by its inhabitants, who had no idea about the size of the continent. For example, the Phoenicians were the first to discover the Mediterranean coast. The ancient Greeks continued to explore new territories. They sailed in many seas of Europe, discovered the Apennine and Balkan peninsulas, and reached the lands of modern Spain and France.

Period of Great Geographical Discovery

However, the greatest surge in discoveries occurred in the period from the Middle Ages until the twentieth century, when, thanks to brave travelers, humanity was able to get a complete picture of the largest continent on the planet.

TOP 4 articleswho are reading along with this

Explorers of Eurasia lived at different times in different countries. They discovered first one part of the continent, then another. The truly great discovery was the fact that all these parts belong to one continent, which later received the name Eurasia.