Age of Exploration
Explore five centuries of journeys across the globe, scientific discoveries, the expansion of European colonialism, and new trade routes
This impressive multi-archive collection focuses on European, maritime exploration from the earliest voyages of Vasco da Gama and Christopher Columbus, through the age of discovery, the search for the ‘New World’ and the establishment of European settlements on every continent, to the eventual discovery of the Northwest and Northeast Passages and the race for the Poles.
The small selection of material we feature from this collection includes the 1610 volume, Histoire de la navigation de Iean Hvgves de Linscot Hollandois et de son votage es Indes Orientales, which includes some wonderfully detailed early maps. Use the zoom feature in the image viewer to view these maps in detail.
This remarkable collection provides the documentary base to interpret some of the major movements of the age of exploration. The variety of the sources made available opens perspectives that should challenge students and bring the period to life. It is a collection that promotes both historical analysis and imagination. 