Almost every corner of the Earth has now been explored. There is no longer any place left where no human foot has gone. Even the Arctic ice gave way under his onslaught.

But it was not always so. For our ancestors, our planet was an unknown and mysterious world, and new countries, strange customs and tribes were hidden beyond the horizon.

The most famous travelers made a great contribution to the study of the Earth, whose names remain forever in our memory, because... It was they who made world discoveries that changed people's understanding of our planet.

10. Francis Drake

A strait located between Antarctica and Tierra del Fuego was named after him. California has Drake Bay.

From the age of 12, Francis, the son of an ordinary farmer, became a cabin boy on the ship of his distant relative. From the age of 18 he was already a captain.

In 1567, his ship took part in an expedition. These ships were attacked by the Spaniards, most of which they sank. Only 2 ships survived, one of which belonged to Francis Drake. The British demanded compensation for all losses, but the Spaniards refused.

Then the young captain swore that he himself would take everything from the King of Spain. In 1577 he was sent to the coast of America. According to the official version, he was supposed to discover new lands, but in reality the goal was more prosaic - gold. Due to a storm, Drake discovered a strait that took his name.

9. Afanasy Nikitin

The famous Russian traveler became famous for being one of the first Europeans who was able to get to. He visited there before the Portuguese travelers.

Afanasy Nikitin Born into the family of an ordinary peasant. He became a merchant, but was remembered by his descendants as a man who not only reached India and Persia, but also described it in his book "Walking across three seas". Before this, Russian literature had written only about pilgrimage, and this was a description of a commercial trip, where he talked about the culture and economy of these countries, about their political structure.

8. Roald Amundsen

Norwegian explorer, famous for his polar expeditions. He was the first person to reach the South Pole, and also the very first traveler to visit both poles of the planet.

The expedition, which was organized in 1926, is the first to claim to have reached the North Pole. He was the winner of many state and public awards.

Roald Amundsen At the insistence of his mother, he entered the medical faculty, but as soon as she died, he left it with relief. Fateful in his life was his acquaintance with the fate of Rear Admiral John Franklin and a description of his hardships. He began preparing for this feat at the age of 16, living a Spartan life: diet, sleeping outdoors and in winter, physical exercise, constant skiing, etc.

His first voyage was on the hunting ship Morgenen, where he wanted to prepare for the navigator's rank. The young polar explorer had an interesting life ahead, full of adventures and discoveries.

Most of his life was spent on expeditions; he never married and had no children. The famous traveler died at the age of 55 during the search for the expedition of Umberto Nobile.

7. Amerigo Vespucci

Florentine traveler, after whom it received its name. He was an ordinary financier who helped supply Christopher Columbus's 2nd and 3rd expeditions.

In 1499, at the age of 45, he decides to set off on a long journey himself. Amerigo Vespucci believed that sailing was a profitable business, so he was ready to conquer the world at his own expense.

Vespucci became one of the discoverers of the territory where Brazil was later located. The former financier was the first to realize that the shores of Brazil are not islands, but new lands, which he called the New World. In 1507, a map appeared in France with the contours of a new continent, which they called "land of Amerigo", and later began to be called America.

6. David Livingston

He was not an explorer, but a Scottish missionary. But, while fulfilling his difficult mission, he at the same time studied and told the whole world about it.

David Livingston Born into a poor family, he began working in a weaving factory at the age of 10. But this did not stop the boy from studying independently; he studied mathematics, Latin and Greek, entered the university and became a doctor.

In 1840, Livingston became a missionary and for the next 15 years he constantly traveled throughout Central and Southern Africa, became an ardent fighter against the slave trade, and created a reputation for himself as a convinced Christian.

His life was difficult, but interesting, full of adventures, Africans called him “The Great Lion”.

David was the first European to cross the Kalahari Desert, after which he discovered and explored Lake Ngami. He also discovered Lake Dilolo.

Livingston and his companions were the first to find the waterfall, which the traveler named in honor of Queen Victoria. Now near this waterfall there is a monument to the great explorer. He spent most of his life in Africa.

5. Ferdinand Magellan

He was a navigator with the title "adelantado", which meant "leader of the conquistadors (conquerors)" who explored and conquered lands outside the Spanish possessions.

Ferdinand Magellan made the first trip around the world. He became the first European who was able to cross the sea from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, opening the strait named after him. Magellan belonged to a noble family.

In 1498, the Portuguese opened the road to India. They began to equip ships to conquer the east. On one of them was Magellan, who took part in the battles with everyone else. Soon he comes up with a plan for a journey that would later make him famous.

He asks the king to send him on a voyage, but he refuses. Then the traveler decides to move to, where he was able to create his own expedition of 5 ships. The journey was difficult, but as a result they found a strait, moving along which they were able to enter the ocean after 38 days.

The expedition was the first to reach the Philippine Islands, which Magellan called the Archipelago of Saint Lazarus. The brave navigator died early, at the age of 40, while participating in a military expedition against the Lapu-Lapu tribe of Mactan Island, whose leader did not want to obey Spain. He never lived to see the end of the world's first circumnavigation.

4. Nikolai Miklouho-Maclay

Nikolai Miklouho-Maclay was not only a traveler, but also a biologist and anthropologist, who devoted his life to studying the populations of Australia, Oceania and Asia. He was an ardent opponent of the slave trade, and was against the theory, popular at that time, that the black races were a transitional species from apes to humans.

He is our compatriot, born in the Novgorod province, studied at St. Petersburg University. In 1870 he went to New Guinea, where he lived among the Papuans, studying their life and rituals, and later continued his observations in neighboring regions.

3. Vasco da Gama

The famous Portuguese navigator who was the first to sail from Europe to India. Born into a family, in his youth he joined the Order of Santiago, and from a young age he participated in naval battles.

In those years, finding a sea route to India was the task of the century, because... it would bring enormous benefits. AND Vasco da Gama was able to do this, after which he became a representative of the nobility, and over time he was awarded the title of “Admiral of the Indian Ocean.”

2. James Cook

The famous navigator was born into the family of a poor Scottish farm laborer, and after 5 years of school he worked on a farm.

At the age of 18, he is hired as a cabin boy on his first ship. Thus begins his career as a sailor, which made James Cook famous.

He was at the head of 3 expeditions that explored the World Ocean. He paid a lot of attention to cartography; the maps he compiled were used until the second half of the 19th century. I learned to fight such a common disease in those days as scurvy.

He was known for his friendly attitude towards the indigenous people of the territories he explored, but died at the age of 50, killed by the natives of the Hawaiian Islands.

1. Christopher Columbus

Much has been said about the life of this famous navigator. He was the first to cross the Atlantic Ocean and visit the Caribbean and Sargasso Sea. He was the discoverer of Central and South America.

Coming from a poor Genoese family, he received a good education. Dreaming of getting to India by a short sea route, Christopher Columbus makes a lot of efforts to implement his projects, but they all turn out to be unsuccessful.

Queen Isabella helped make his dream come true, and she agreed to pawn her jewels for the sake of a great idea.

4 expeditions were organized. Columbus died at the age of 55; the enormous significance of his discoveries was recognized much later, and during his lifetime his monopoly right to discover new lands was revoked; moreover, he was arrested and sent to Spain in shackles.

They are always attracted by the horizon line, an endless strip stretching into the distance. Their faithful friends are ribbons of roads leading to the unknown, mysterious and mysterious. They were the first to push the boundaries, opening new lands and the amazing beauty of metrics to humanity. These people are the most famous travelers.

Travelers who made the most important discoveries

Christopher Columbus. He was a red-haired guy with a strong build and slightly above average height. Since childhood, he was smart, practical, and very proud. He had a dream - to go on a journey and find a treasure of gold coins. And he made his dreams come true. He found a treasure - a huge continent - America.

Three quarters of Columbus's life was spent sailing. He traveled on Portuguese ships and lived in Lisbon and the British Isles. Stopping briefly in a foreign land, he constantly drew geographical maps and made new travel plans.

It still remains a mystery how he managed to draw up a plan for the shortest route from Europe to India. His calculations were based on the discoveries of the 15th century and the fact that the Earth is spherical.

Having gathered 90 volunteers in 1492-1493, he set off on a journey across the Atlantic Ocean on three ships. He became the discoverer of the central part of the Bahamas archipelago, the Greater and Lesser Antilles. He is responsible for the discovery of the northeastern coast of Cuba.

The second expedition, which lasted from 1493 to 1496, already consisted of 17 ships and 2.5 thousand people. He discovered the islands of Dominica, the Lesser Antilles, and the island of Puerto Rico. After 40 days of sailing, arriving in Castile, he notified the government of the opening of a new route to Asia.

After 3 years, having collected 6 ships, he led an expedition across the Atlantic. In Haiti, because of an envious denunciation of his successes, Columbus was arrested and shackled. He received release, but kept the shackles all his life, as a symbol of betrayal.

He was the discoverer of America. Until the end of his life, he mistakenly believed that it was connected to Asia by a thin isthmus. He believed that the sea route to India was opened by him, although history later showed the fallacy of his delusions.

Vasco da Gama. He was lucky enough to live during the era of great geographical discoveries. Perhaps that is why he dreamed of traveling and dreamed of becoming a discoverer of uncharted lands.

He was a nobleman. The family was not the most noble, but had ancient roots. As a young man, he became interested in mathematics, navigation and astronomy. Since childhood, he hated secular society, playing the piano and French, which noble nobles tried to “show off” with.

Determination and organizational skills made Vasco da Gama close to Emperor Charles VIII, who, having decided to create an expedition to open a sea route to India, appointed him in charge.

Four new ships, specially built for the journey, were placed at his disposal. Vasco da Gama was equipped with the latest navigational instruments and provided naval artillery.

A year later, the expedition reached the shores of India, stopping in the first city of Calicut (Kozhikode). Despite the cold reception of the natives and even military clashes, the goal was achieved. Vasco da Gama became the discoverer of the sea route to India.

They discovered the mountainous and desert regions of Asia, made bold expeditions to the Far North, they “wrote” history, glorifying the Russian land.

Great Russian travelers

Miklouho-Maclay was born into a noble family, but experienced poverty at the age of 11 when his father died. He was always a rebel. At the age of 15, he was arrested for participating in a student demonstration and imprisoned for three days in the Peter and Paul Fortress. For participating in student unrest, he was expelled from the gymnasium and further prohibited from entering any higher institution. Having left for Germany, he received his education there.

The famous naturalist Ernst Haeckel became interested in the 19-year-old boy, inviting him to his expedition to study marine fauna.

In 1869, returning to St. Petersburg, he enlisted the support of the Russian Geographical Society and set off to study New Guinea. It took a year to prepare the expedition. He sailed to the shore of the Coral Sea, and when he set foot on land he had no idea that his descendants would name this place after him.

Having lived for more than a year in New Guinea, he not only discovered new lands, but also taught the natives to grow corn, pumpkins, beans and fruit trees. He studied the life of the natives on the island of Java, the Louisiads and the Solomon Islands. He spent 3 years in Australia.

He died at 42. Doctors diagnosed him with severe deterioration of the body.

Afanasy Nikitin is the first Russian traveler to visit India and Persia. Returning back, he visited Somalia, Turkey and Muscat. His notes “Walking across the Three Seas” became valuable historical and literary aids. He described medieval India simply and truthfully in his notes.

Coming from a peasant family, he proved that even a poor person can travel to India. The main thing is to set a goal.

The world has not revealed all its secrets to man. There are still people who dream of lifting the veil of unknown worlds.

Famous modern travelers

He is 60, but his soul is still full of thirst for new adventures. At the age of 58, he climbed to the top of Everest and conquered 7 of the greatest peaks together with climbers. He is fearless, purposeful, open to the unknown. His name is Fedor Konyukhov.

And may the era of great discoveries be long behind us. It doesn't matter that the Earth has been photographed thousands of times from space. Let travelers and discoverers discover all the places on the globe. He, like a child, believes that there is still a lot of unknown in the world.

He has 40 expeditions and ascents to his credit. He crossed seas and oceans, was at the North and South Poles, completed 4 circumnavigations of the world, and crossed the Atlantic 15 times. Of these, one time was on a rowing boat. He made most of his travels alone.

Everyone knows his name. His programs had a television audience of millions. He is the great man who gave this world the unusual beauty of nature, hidden from view in the bottomless depths. Fedor Konyukhov visited different places on our planet, including the hottest place in Russia, which is located in Kalmykia. .

The most famous traveler in the world

Jacques-Yves Cousteau is a famous French oceanographer, traveler and “pioneer” of underwater filming and research, inventor of scuba gear and author of many books.

He chose the underwater world, giving all its secrets and beauty to people. His first scuba gear was a gas mask and a motorcycle inner tube. The first attempt to go underwater in this device almost cost him his life. But he invented, playing with life to find a way to get to the underwater kingdom.

Even during the war, he continued his experiments and research into the underwater world. He decided to dedicate his first film to sunken ships. And the Germans, who occupied France, allowed him to engage in research and filming.

He dreamed of a ship that would be equipped with modern technology for filming and observation. He was helped by a complete stranger who gave Cousteau a small military minesweeper. After renovation work, it became the famous ship "Calypso".

The ship's crew included researchers: a journalist, a navigator, a geologist, and a volcanologist. His wife was his assistant and companion. Later, 2 of his sons took part in all expeditions.

Cousteau is recognized as the best specialist in underwater research. He received an offer to head the famous Oceanographic Museum in Monaco. He not only studied the underwater world, but was also involved in activities to protect the marine and ocean habitat.
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3. Updating knowledge

Conclusion: travel - explore the world, expand knowledge, explore oceans, continents, planet Earth

Working with banner words

Phoenicians

Mediterranean Sea

Herodotus

Pytheas

North Sea

Atlantic Ocean

strait of Gibraltar

British Isles

How big is Libya?

interactively

• Working with a map of Africa
• Working with Herodotus' map

"Ancient Travelers"

Questions

Travelers

Phoenicians

Herodotus

Pytheas

Who were they?

Scientist, navigator

When did you make the trip?

Purpose of Travel?

Is Libya great?

Knowledge of the world

Result of the trip

Around Africa

Explored Scythia, Egypt

6. Primary consolidation:

1) Running the test

7. Homework

8. Lesson summary

9. Reflection

View document contents
“Lesson summary “Ancient Travellers””

Lesson summary “Ancient Travelers”

Target: create conditions for the formation of students’ ideas about the role of travelers in the study of the Earth

Planned results (tasks):

Personal:

1) developing an understanding of the role of travel in the accumulation of knowledge about the Earth;

2) respect for history and the way of life of other peoples;

3) ability to work with a map

Metasubject:

1) the ability to work with various sources of information, highlight the main points in the text, and structure the material;

2) convert text into tabular form;

Subject:

1) explain the results of outstanding geographical discoveries, the influence of travel on the development of geographical knowledge;

2) determine and show travel routes on the map;

3) formulate conclusions about the role of ancient travelers in the exploration of the Earth

Teaching methods: partially search, research

Forms of organization of students’ cognitive activity: collective, pair, group, individual

Means of education: world map, map of northeastern Europe; map of Libya, Africa (according to Herodotus); textbook, atlas, workbook with printed base, educational presentation

1. Organizational moment of the lesson

“The bell rang - class begins!

If you want to know a lot, put in the effort!

Everything will turn out to be a “5” if you have the desire!”

Good afternoon It’s very nice to see dear fifth-graders, dear colleagues, and everyone who likes to learn new things at today’s lesson! I really want to continue the conversation I started in the last lesson about distant countries, ancient sailors, unexplored islands, their fabulous riches, about everything that excites people’s imagination, makes them want to learn something unknown, go into the world of travel and discovery.

Now, I want to introduce you to anthem of geographers, biologists, and ecologists, people who love travel. Listen!

We will also mark travel destinations on the world map.

So let's start the lesson?

2. Setting the goals and objectives of the lesson

1) reading words - banners on the chalkboard

Libya, Tuamotu, Herodotus, Norway, British Isles, Strait of Gibraltar, Pytheas, amber, Egypt, Scythia, Red Sea, South America, Africa, Pacific Ocean, Kon-Tiki, Thor Heyerdahl, Eratosthenes, balsa, Phoenicians

What can you say about these words?

What do all these words have in common?

What kind of journeys did people make in ancient times?

Could people in ancient times travel around the world?

Would you like to know more about the voyages of ancient seafarers?

2) determining the topic of the lesson, recording the topic “Ancient Travelers” in a notebook

3. Updating knowledge

1) organizing a knowledge test on the topic “In the footsteps of Stone Age travelers”

Working with banner words at the board. Choose words to write a story about Thor Heyerdahl's travels.

Thor Heyerdahl's team proved with their journey across the Pacific Ocean on a balsa wood raft that the islands could be populated by Stone Age people.

2) Show South America, Pacific Ocean, Norway near the wall map

3) Frontal work with the class

The name of the traveler who proved the possibility of settling the Pacific Islands?

What was the name of the traveler's boat?

Why couldn't the explorers complete their journey? (p.38, 1 paragraph below)

Why are some islands in the Pacific Ocean uninhabited to this day?

4) listening to a story about T. Heyerdahl, showing on the map

Conclusion: travel - explore the world, expand knowledge, explore oceans, continents, planet Earth

4. Primary assimilation of new knowledge

Could people in ancient times travel around the world?

1) Organization of work on studying a new topic

Working with words - banners

Phoenicians Mediterranean Sea	Herodotus	Pytheas North Sea Atlantic Ocean strait of Gibraltar British Isles
How big is Libya?

2) the formation of ideas about the earth’s surface, about the research of ancient travelers

3) practical work “Drawing geographical objects on a contour map” interactively

Working with a map of Africa

Working with Herodotus' map

Working with a map of northwestern Europe (on your own)

5. Initial check of understanding of new material

1) filling out the table when using a textbook

"Ancient Travelers"

Questions	Travelers
	Phoenicians	Herodotus	Pytheas
Who were they?			Scientist, navigator
When did you make the trip?
Purpose of Travel?	Is Libya great?	Knowledge of the world	Find a trade route to the sun stone
Result of the trip	Around Africa	Explored Scythia, Egypt	Found a way from the Mediterranean to the North Sea

Conclusion: in ancient times people could make long journeys; technical capabilities (sailing ships, rowing ships) differed from the technical capabilities of Stone Age people

6. Primary consolidation:

1) Running the test

2) mutual verification, marking according to criteria

7. Homework

§ 8; create a crossword puzzle “Ancient travelers”

Take part in the All-Russian Geographical Dictation

8. Lesson summary

Working with words and banners

Can words be combined into groups?

Can you make sentences with words?

9. Reflection

Reflection on the activity “Ladder of Success”

Hanno's voyage

One of the most ancient travelers about whom information has reached us was Hanno from Carthage. Carthage was located on the coast of North Africa (near modern Tunisia). It was a rich and strong city-state. Its merchants had numerous settlements on the islands of Sicily, Corsica, and Sardinia. Brave Carthaginian sailors sailed into the Atlantic Ocean more than once. In the south of the Iberian Peninsula they founded the large trading city of Gades (now called Cadiz).

Around 525 BC e. From Carthage, by decision of the Senate, a large expedition set out on a long voyage on 60 fifty-oared ships to explore the western shores of Libya (as Africa was then called) in order to find places for colonies. The expedition was led by Hanno, one of the Carthaginian suffets - senior officials. He was supposed to subsequently take 30 thousand colonists to new settlements.

Having passed the Pillars of Melqart (Strait of Gibraltar) and making a short stop in Hades, the ships moved along unknown shores to the southwest. They walked either with oars or with sails. Two days later, when the sun barely had time to dispel the morning fog, a wide plain appeared on the shore in the distance, and beyond it a forest could be seen. A river flowed across the plain (the modern Sousse River). The Carthaginians liked the place. Here they decided to establish the first settlement. It was named Thymiatheria. Moving further south, the Carthaginians founded several more colonies. Along the way, the sailors more than once saw elephants and other African animals grazing peacefully.

Finally, they reached the mouth of the great Lique River (modern Cebu River). Along its shores lived nomadic shepherds who hospitably received the sailors. From them Hanno learned that to the south lay the island of Kerna. There, you can get a lot of gold dust from local residents in exchange for various goods. Hanno sent most of the ships to Carthage, and he himself, with several ships, moved further south in search of Cerna. Soon monotonous deserted shores stretched out. The wind blew from the mainland, bringing sweltering stuffiness and heat.

They sailed like this for many days. Finally, the sandy shores began to give way to grassy meadows. Groups of trees began to appear more and more often. Having rounded a forested cape, the ships entered the bay of Rio de Oro (“Golden River”), located near the northern tropic. In the bay we landed on the small island of Kern. The Carthaginians laid out their goods on the shore (fabrics, iron objects, rings, bracelets and other jewelry), lit fires to attract the attention of the local population, and returned to the ships. After some time, they went ashore again and found leather bags of gold sand instead of the goods they had left behind.

Wanting to secure the island of Kern for Carthage, Hanno settled several sailors here, providing them with everything they needed. Soon they were to be replaced by colonists. Continuing their voyage, Hanno's ships reached the mouth of the Senegal, the largest river in West Africa. But it was not possible to climb far up it. Local residents, dressed in animal skins, greeted the unexpected guests with a hail of stones. I had to turn back. After a second unsuccessful attempt to land, Hanno returned to Kerna.

Having replenished his supplies of water and food, he undertook another voyage to the south. The ships sailed for a long time. When travelers landed on shore, the local population greeted them unfriendly. One day, the sailors, who had just settled in for the night, were amazed by an amazing sight: numerous lights flashed at regular intervals in all directions. What could it be? Probably, signals about the arrival of strangers were transmitted using bonfires. Another time, having landed on the shore of the Western Horn Bay, the sailors were awakened at night by loud screams, sounds of flutes and drums. Seized with fear, without waiting for dawn, the travelers raised anchors and sailed away from the shore.

We sailed further and further south. They began to notice that the coast was deviating to the east. At noon, the sun rose so high that objects did not cast shadows. The polar star hung very low above the horizon. For four days, Hanno and his companions observed a powerful eruption of the volcano Theon-Ochema (Cameroon on the shores of the Gulf of Guinea), which means “chariot of the gods.”

For three days the ships drifted across the stormy sea until they washed up on the shores of the quiet Southern Horn Bay (Gabon Bay near the equator). We landed on a small island in the depths of the bay. Here you could relax and repair ships. But unexpectedly, huge gorillas attacked the Carthaginians. Having entered into battle with these terrible monkeys, the Carthaginians forced them to flee. Three animals were killed. They decided to take their skins to Carthage.

Having finished repairing the ships, Hanno decided to return to Carthage. He was afraid that there would not be enough food for further voyage. Hanno's voyage was one of the most remarkable voyages of antiquity. After him, for two thousand years (until the middle of the 15th century), none of the sailors dared to penetrate further south along the coast of Africa.

Travelers of ancient Greece

An outstanding traveler of antiquity was the Greek historian and geographer Herodotus from the port city of Halicarnassus on the western coast of Asia Minor. He lived in an era when ancient Greece waged a difficult struggle with the mighty Persian power. Herodotus decided to write the history of the Greco-Persian wars and tell in detail about the nature and life of the population of the countries that were under Persian rule at that time.

Herodotus made his travels in 460-450. BC e. He visited Greek cities on the coast of Asia Minor. Then he visited many areas of the Balkan Peninsula (in the territory of modern Bulgaria and Yugoslavia). Herodotus made a long journey that immortalized his name to Scythia, a country that occupied the southern regions of the Ukrainian SSR.

On one of the Greek ships, Herodotus headed to the Greek Black Sea colony of Olbia. Lived here for several weeks. From the city he made a number of trips around the country and met with many Scythians. Before Herodotus, Scythia was little known to the Greeks. They had a vague idea of ​​the country, although they traded with it. Herodotus’s information is of exceptionally great importance for the history of the south of our Motherland.

Herodotus, who was born and raised in mountainous and wooded areas, was struck by Scythia with its huge treeless plains and rich pastures. The Scythian winter, which lasted several months, seemed harsh to Herodotus. He wrote that in Scythia in winter, spilled water “does not make dirt” (that is, it freezes). Summer also seemed very cold and rainy to him. Herodotus was amazed by the huge rivers of Scythia - Hypanis (Southern Bug), Borysthenes (Dnieper), Tanais (Don) and others. He knew from childhood that in Greece rivers originate in the mountains, but in Scythia there are no mountains. In his opinion, these rivers must begin in some large lakes. Despite this erroneous view, Herodotus generally correctly characterized the Scythian plain. Herodotus was especially interested in the tribes that inhabited Scythia and neighboring regions. The Scythians, who lived in the steppe and partly forest-steppe zones, were divided into farmers and cattle breeders.

The nomadic lifestyle of the Scythian herders seemed unusual to the Greeks. Herodotus collected interesting information about the peoples who lived to the north, northeast of the Scythians. He learned about the Tissaget and Irka hunters who inhabited the “stony and uneven land” (this is probably the Urals and Kama region), about the dense forests growing there, where beavers, otters and other fur-bearing animals live. Further on, at the foot of high and inaccessible mountains (this is undoubtedly the Ural ridge), the Argypean tribes live. They have shaved heads and flat faces with large chins. Argypeans eat the fruits of the Pontik (cherry) tree. They call the juice of these fruits mixed with milk “askhi”. Probably, we were talking about the Kalmyks, who at that time lived at the foot of the Urals.

Herodotus was told that even further away lay the habitat of one-eyed people - the Arimaspians. There's a lot of gold there. But he is guarded by vultures - terrible monsters that look like lions, with eagle beaks and wings. In the far North, beyond Scythia, there are uninhabited lands, it is very cold there, there is snow all the time and it is night for six months.

From Scythia, Herodotus went to the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. From the inhabitants of Colchis he learned that beyond the mountains stretches the huge Caspian Sea, and behind it is a vast plain. Warlike tribes live there - the Massagetae. Before Herodotus, the Greeks imagined the Caspian Sea as a bay of the ocean and did not know what lay to the east of it.

Having returned to his homeland, Herodotus after some time set off on a new journey - to the interior regions of the Asia Minor peninsula and to the Mesopotamian lowland. He described in great detail the city of Babylon with its high stone walls, a huge library and luxurious terraced gardens. Of the plants of Mesopotamia, he was especially interested in date palms. The population prepared bread, wine and honey from the fruits of these palm trees. Herodotus liked the ships sailing on the Tigris and Euphrates. Their round body is made of willow twigs and covered with a leather cover.

In Babylon, Herodotus learned a lot about “the most remote of the countries of the East,” which was India for the Greeks. He was told that gold was mined in huge quantities in India; there are many strange plants there: reed, from one knee of which you can supposedly make a boat (bamboo); a cereal whose grain is “cooked and eaten together with the husk” (rice); trees with fruits in the form of a ball of wool - from which the inhabitants of India make their own clothes (cotton). The Greeks of that time did not know cotton fabrics.

Herodotus spent a lot of time in Egypt. He visited cities, visited the famous pyramids and the Sphinx, and climbed up the Nile to Siena (modern Aswan). Herodotus also noted the peculiarities of the nature of Egypt: the absence of clouds and rain, the rise and flood of water in the Nile during the hottest time of the year, many animals unknown in Greece and Asia Minor (crocodiles, hippos, various fish and birds).

After Egypt, Herodotus visited the cities of Northern Libya (Africa), where he collected interesting information about the inhabitants of the northern part of the African continent and oases in the desert sandy zone. Herodotus's information about the ancient population of the Sahara is confirmed by the latest archaeological data (drawings on rocks in Tibesti, Fszzan and Oran).

In 449 BC. e. Persia was defeated by the Greeks. Athens, the Greek city-state, emerged onto the historical stage as the dominant power in the Mediterranean. The outstanding orator and politician Pericles came to power in Athens. Under him, Athens became the political and cultural center of ancient Greece. Along with other scientists, Herodotus also came to Athens. Here he read chapters from his work entitled “History”. This work contains a lot of valuable geographical information.

The great traveler of ancient Greece was Pytheas from Massilia (that was the name of the city of Marseille on the southern coast of modern France at that time). The expedition of Pytheas was organized by the traders of Massilia to find unknown countries where there was tin and amber. Pytheas not only fulfilled the orders of the merchants, but also made several geographical discoveries that glorified his name.

Pytheas' journey began in March 325 BC. e. Two fifty-oared ships left the harbor of Massilia. Their path lay to the Strait of Gibraltar, which was in the hands of the Carthaginians and was closed to the passage of foreign ships. During a thunderstorm, under the cover of a dark night, they managed to bypass the guards and go out into the Atlantic Ocean. Day and night the ships sailed and rowed to the west, trying to move as far as possible from dangerous places.

While spending the night at the mouth of a river, Pytheas, observing the ebb and flow of the tides, the first expressed the correct idea that this phenomenon is associated with the attraction of the Earth’s water shell by the Moon.

Sailing north, Pytheas reached the large Celtic city of Carbilon at the mouth of the Loire. From local residents he learned that tin comes to them from more northern countries, and from Carbilon it is sent overland to southern countries, to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.

On the coast of the Brittany peninsula and on the island of Uxisama (modern Ouessant in Western France), Pytheas met with the Veneti and Osismi tribes. From them he learned that tin was brought from the islands in the north. One of the islands is called Albion or Britain. Next to it lie the small islands of the Cassiterides (“Tin”).

At the southwestern tip of the island (Cornwall Peninsula), he became familiar with the mining and smelting of tin. Having purchased tin, Pytheas sent one ship to Carbilon, and on the other continued sailing north along the western coast of Britain.

Pytheas was the first to observe and establish the relationship between geographic latitude and the length of day and night. The further he moved north, the longer and longer the summer day became. Off the northern coast of Britain, he noted the length of the day at 18 hours, and the night at 6 hours. From the shores of Northern Scotland, Pytheas crossed to the Orkney and Shetland Islands. From here he made his famous voyage

to the distant country of Thule, with which the inhabitants of Britain traded. From the inhabitants of Thule, Pytheas learned that to the north there are areas where the sun does not set at all in summer, and does not appear at all in winter! There, they told him, lies an ice-bound ocean and uninhabited lands...

Where could this legendary country of Thule be located? Most modern scientists believe that Thule is the Trondheimsfjord area on the western coast of Norway at 64° N. w.

In ancient times, no traveler before or after Pytheas rose to such high latitudes. Sailing along the southern shores of the North Sea, Pytheas reached the area where Germanic tribes lived, mining amber. They collected pieces of amber left by the sea on the shore at low tide. They traded this amber to the Celts for iron products. From the Celts, amber came to Massilia and other areas of the Mediterranean.

Pytheas failed to penetrate further to the east. Off the western shores of the Jutland Peninsula, he found himself in thick fog hanging over shallow water. Pytheas concluded that the human habitation area ends here. It seemed to him that here “there is no longer land, sea or air, but a mixture of all this... land, sea and in general everything hangs in the air; it is impossible to walk or sail here.”

Having exchanged iron products for amber, Pytheas set off on his way back. He left descriptions of his travels, but they have not reached us completely. We know about them from those passages that have been preserved by other ancient authors.

Malay sailors

If you superimpose a map of the Malay Archipelago, drawn on the same scale, on a map of Europe, then its islands will stretch out in a huge arc in the space from Ireland to the mouth of the Volga. This giant constellation of islands stretches on both sides of the equator - 7° north and 10° south, between Asia and Australia. Tens of thousands of islands - large, medium, small and tiny - form thousand-mile chains that stretch in long arcs towards the Philippines, New Guinea and the northern shores of the Australian mainland. Between these islands, immersed in the greenery of tropical forests, endowed with inexhaustible natural resources, fertile soils, and numerous natural harbors, lie inland seas where monsoon winds favorable for navigation blow. Through these seas - the South China, Java, Celebes, Banda, Timor - there is a through waterway from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific, from the coasts of India and Ceylon to the coasts of the Philippines, China, Korea, Japan, to New Guinea and Australia.

For the peoples inhabiting the Malay Archipelago, the sea has long been a native element. On their light boats and ships, the islanders crossed the seas and moved far to the west along the southern coast of Asia. At the beginning of our era, the Malays from the Greater Sunda Islands crossed the entire Indian Ocean from east to west and reached Madagascar.

The indigenous people of Madagascar, the Malagasy, are descended from distant Malay ancestors and speak a language of Malay origin. In the other direction - to the east - invisible threads connect with the Malays and the inhabitants of the Polynesian islands. Reliable historical information about the Malays dates back to the first centuries of our era; then the westernmost islands of the archipelago - Sumatra and Java, and a century later Kalimantan - began to be settled by settlers from South India and Bengal.

The rivers of Sumatra carry their brownish-yellow, muddy waters through impenetrable forests. The sources of the rivers lie in the west, on the slopes of the Barisan ridge. Fast mountain streams merge on a high plateau, cut by deep ravines and gorges, which borders the foothills of Barisan from the north. Between the plateau and the sea lies a low-lying marshy plain. Here rivers flow in impassable jungle - rimbe. Near the sea, wide river channels break up into countless branches and channels, making their way through a continuous wall of mangroves.

In the rimba and on the wooded plateau lived wandering tribes - Bataks, Ala, Gaju, Achin, Sakai. Not knowing how to cultivate the land, they obtained their food by hunting and collecting the fruits of wild fruit trees.

At the same time, settled Malay tribes lived in the river deltas, related to the indigenous inhabitants of the deep parts of Sumatra. They grew rice on rich, abundantly irrigated lands, harvesting two crops a year. Every piece of land had to be conquered from the virgin forest, every step in the sultry, damp-rotten rimba was worth incredible effort.

In Java, where high plains and easily traversed mountain ranges predominate, the struggle for land was not so brutal and severe. The Javanese settled not only the shores, but also the interior of the island; On the slopes of the mountains, rice fields cut into the ledges of a gigantic staircase.

On the islands at the mouths of the rivers, pockets of rich culture emerged, created by the industrious and courageous peoples of Sumatra and Java. And although much was perceived from Indian settlers, the Malay culture that grew on its native soil was distinguished by its originality.

Prosperous cities arose in Sumatra and Java, and strong and extensive states were created. In the 7th century on the shores of the Strait of Malacca there already existed a powerful maritime power, Srivijaya. Its capital was located in the lower reaches of the river. Musi, roughly where Palembang is now, is the main center of the Indonesian oil industry.

Around the capital were carefully cultivated rice fields and many villages. In 918, the Iranian historian Abu Seid Hassan wrote that “at the hour when the roosters in the city of Zabag (Srivijaya) announce the coming of day with their singing, all their brothers respond to this call at a distance of 100 or more parsangs” (parsang - about 6 km.- Ed.).

Life was in full swing on the shores of the Strait of Malacca; The Great Asian Sea Route passed through it, with which the “spice road” merged. It led from the Moluccas, Timor and Sulawesi to Srivijaya.

The countries of the southern seas were described by merchants and pilgrims, and later by Arab geographers and travelers. These works tell of ships with crews of 600, 700 and 1000 people each, led by experienced pilots; about wonderful palaces and temples, about rich rice fields and wide roads cut through the sultry rhimba. Thousands of paths led from the shores of these lands to the Asian continent and along its southern edge far to the west.

Centuries have passed. Previously mighty and vast kingdoms ceased to exist: Srivijaya disappeared; The great Javanese empire of Majapahit, which stretched in the mid-14th century from the Philippines and New Guinea to the western tip of Sumatra, collapsed.

Numerous principalities arose everywhere - fragments of former empires. Rich and powerful trading cities grew up in many principalities. These were amazing cities. Reed huts, cramped and dirty adobe houses were haphazardly stuck to huge warehouses, shipyards, and port berths. The dark, narrow alleys were teeming with brothels and taverns. On the piers, piled high with goods, people of different tribes crowded together. There were no less foreigners here than local residents. The ships were standing close to each other in the harbors.

At the hour of unloading, a furious dispute between foreign merchants and burly customs inspectors sometimes flared up on the decks. Local rulers strictly collected duties on each shipment of goods. The merchants paid, but the costs were more than compensated for: any deal could be concluded at this maritime bazaar.

But all these cities were eclipsed by Malacca - an insignificant fishing village at the beginning of the 15th century, and by the end of it - the greatest trading port, the “Venice of the Asian seas”. A small river divided the city into two unequal parts. To the south of the river, the walls of mosques and palaces were white in the green gardens.

On the north bank of the river, behind a long row of squat, dirty-white warehouses, was the business part of the city: the market, the houses of local merchants and four foreign quarters. Sometimes up to 10 thousand trade guests settled here: merchants and sailors from different Indian kingdoms, Ceylonese, Siamese, Burmese, residents of Javanese and Sumatran cities, captains of light two-masted ships from the harbors of Sulawesi, the Maluku Islands, Timor, Bali, and the Banda Islands. Iranians, Syrians, Armenians, Greeks, Egyptians and their spice trading partners, the Venetians, came to Malacca.

From the sea to the river, in a semicircle around the rich merchant quarters, stretched a wide strip of slums. Reed huts, light canopies on bamboo poles, adobe kennels, caves dug in loose reddish earth were randomly scattered among stinking heaps, ship timber warehouses, cattle pens, and dull Muslim cemeteries.

There were thirty thousand houses in Malacca. There were more than a hundred ships in its harbor. Gold-woven fabrics from Syria, opium and aromatic resins from Arabia, ivory and ebony from Africa, cotton fabrics from Gujarat and Bengal, carpets and expensive weapons from Iran were brought here. Ships from the West came to Malacca using the favorable spring monsoon. And from the southeast, from the Moluccas, merchants brought spices. Huge bales of cloves, pepper, and nutmeg were reloaded in Malacca onto local and foreign ships. Spices went to Beijing and Kyoto, Cairo and Venice. Moluccan merchants took cotton fabrics and silks to their islands.

Studying Portuguese, Malay and other written sources, we can conclude that ships left Malacca, Sumatran and Javanese cities far to the west and east long before the Portuguese appeared off the coast of India and Malacca.

The ships were built by Malay and Javanese craftsmen. One Portuguese chronicler of the early 16th century. wrote: “These junks (as the ships are called here) are much larger than our ships and similar to them. Their bow and stern are the same in shape and are equipped with rudders, and the sails are made of reed... and these ships are heavier than ours and more reliable in sailing, and the side superstructures on the bow and stern are high, so that the ship looks like a camel.” .

On these ships, Malay pilots boldly went out to the open sea. They had excellent nautical charts, which the Portuguese valued more than gold. Using these maps, Portuguese captains made “discoveries” in the seas of the Malay Archipelago. We still know little about the travels of Malayan sailors. Indonesian scientists have taken this issue seriously only in recent years.

The Journey of Marco Polo

Marco was 15 years old when his father Nicolo and uncle Mateo, rich merchants, returned to Venice from a long and distant journey. This was in 1269. They visited the Crimea, the Middle Volga, the cities of Samarkand and Bukhara, and Mongolia, the headquarters of the Mongol Khan. According to them, the Mongol Empire stretched from the Danube to the shores of the Pacific Ocean.

China was under the rule of Kublai Khan. Khan hospitably received the Polo brothers and, when they were getting ready to head back, he instructed them to deliver a letter to the Pope (the head of the Catholic Church), in which he expressed his readiness to establish diplomatic relations.

Only two years later (1271) the Polo brothers received a response letter from the pope and gifts for Kublai Khan. This time Nicolo took his 17-year-old son Marco with him. Thus began the famous 24-year journey of Marco Polo. The journey to China was long, it took about 4 years (1271-1275).

Old Khan Kublai Khan received the Polo family very cordially. The khan really liked the smart young Marco. The elder Polo, Nicolo and Mateo, were engaged in trade, and the young man carried out diplomatic assignments for the khan. He visited many areas, from coastal cities to Eastern Tibet,

The Polo family lived in a foreign land for 17 years. Kublai Khan did not let them go home for a long time. Chance helped them. Brothers Polo and Marco volunteered to accompany the Mongol and Chinese princesses who were being given as wives to the Mongol ruler of Iran, who lived in Tabriz. It was unsafe to send brides with rich gifts through the interior of Asia: there was a war going on there between the Mongol princes. The Polos decided to sail on ships.

In the spring of 1292, a fleet of fourteen four-masted ships sailed from the port of Zaitun (Quan-chow). While traveling around the eastern and southern coasts of Asia, Marco Polo learned about Japan, the islands of Indonesia (“the labyrinth of 7448 islands”), and the country of Chambo on the eastern coast of Indochina. From the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean, the ships passed through the Strait of Malacca and made a three-month stop on the shores of the island of Sumatra. After stopping on the island of Ceylon and sailing along the western coast of India, the ships entered the Persian Gulf and dropped anchor in the city of Hormuz, where the Polos visited about 22 years ago. While sailing across the Indian Ocean, Marco Polo managed to obtain some information about the African coast, Ethiopia, and the islands of Madagascar, Zanzibar and Socotra.

Having delivered the princesses to Persia, the Polo family reached the Black Sea city of Trobzon and from there returned to Venice by ship. All of Venice was amazed to learn how many treasures - precious stones - the three travelers brought from the East...

Soon a war broke out between Venice and Genoa for supremacy in trade in the Mediterranean. Marco Polo equipped the ship at his own expense and took part in the battle himself. Together with his team, he was captured and imprisoned in a Genoese prison. There, Marco Polo told prisoners about his travels to distant countries. One of the captives, the Italian writer Rusticiano, wrote down the Venetian's stories about everything he saw and heard during his wonderful journey.

Some time later, Marco Polo was released from prison and returned to Venice. He died a noble, respected man in 1324. His book interested his contemporaries. At first it circulated in many handwritten lists. It was first published in 1477 and then translated into many languages. This book introduced Europeans to the distant countries of the East, their nature, inhabitants, and culture. True, not everything in it was reliable. But the huge amount of valuable information about the East that Marco Polo collected during his travels made this work the favorite book of such outstanding navigators as Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama, Ferdinand Magellan. For more details, see the article. Marco Polo's book played an important role in the discovery of America and the sea route to India.

Journey across three seas

Among the ancient explorers and sailors who visited distant countries, the remarkable Russian traveler, Tver merchant Afanasy Nikitin, occupies an honorable place. He visited India 30 years before Vasco da Gama and penetrated into areas of the country where no European had ever been before. How did fate bring Afanasy Nikitin to the shores of the Indian Ocean?

In the fall of 1466, the ambassador of the Shirvan Khanate returned from Moscow to his homeland.

Having heard in Tver (now Kalinin) about the return of the embassy, ​​Afanasy Nikitin and other merchants decided to join the ambassador's caravan and go to Shirvan to trade. The Shirvan Khanate lay on the southwestern shores of the Caspian Sea. It included the cities of Baku, Derbent and Shemakha. The Khanate conducted large trade with many countries of the East.

Having equipped two ships, Nikitin and his comrades sailed to Nizhny Novgorod (now Gorky), where, after waiting for the ambassador, they moved down the Volga. Traveling with the embassy was more convenient and safer. The ambassador had security, he was given certificates for unhindered passage, and pilots were provided. At that

At that time, the border of the Russian state ran along the Oka and crossed the Volga just south of Nizhny Novgorod. Further on lay the lands captured by the Tatars.

Near Astrakhan, a detachment of the Tatar Khan Kasim attacked a caravan of ships. Several people were killed in the skirmish, and four Tatars were captured. The property and goods of many merchants, including Nikitin, were plundered.

The adventures didn't end there. While sailing across the Caspian Sea (it was called Khvalynsky), the ships were caught in a storm. One of the ships was thrown ashore near the city of Terka (now Makhachkala). The Russian merchants who sailed on it were captured by local residents - the Kaytaks. Afanasy Nikitin, who was on the ambassador's ship, safely reached Derbent. He spent almost a whole year in the Shirvan Khanate until he rescued his comrades from captivity. Some of those released decided to return to their homeland, others remained in Shamakhi. Myself

Nikitin went to Baku and then to Persia (Iran). He could not return to his homeland without goods and without money - he borrowed a lot of goods for trade. He could be brought to court as a debtor. Nikitin was a competent, enterprising and courageous person. He decided to try his luck in other countries. After working in the oil fields in Baku and earning some money, he moved to the southern shore of the Caspian Sea to the Persian city of Chapakur.

Tver merchant Afanasy Nikitin visited India. 30 years before the Portuguese navigators Vasco da Gama penetrated areas where no European had ever been before.

Moving along the ancient caravan route, Nikitin reached Bandar-Abas on the shores of the Persian Gulf. From there he crossed to the city of Hormuz, which lies on an island at the entrance to the bay.

This city was at that time one of the richest in Asia. Trade routes from India, China, Egypt and Asia Minor crossed here. They said about Hormuz: “The world is a ring, and Hormuz is the jewel in it.”

Nikitin stayed here for a whole month. Everything amazed him: the tropical heat, the strong sultry wind, the daily ebb and flow of the sea, camels loaded with skins of fresh water, the custom of covering hot stones of the pavement with carpets and mats, and much more.

In Hormuz, Nikitin learned that purebred horses, which are very valuable there, are exported from here to India. Having bought a horse, Nikitin sailed to India on April 9, 1469. This six-week voyage across the stormy Arabian Sea was difficult and dangerous. Nikitin sailed on a small ship - a tawa, built without nails.

He landed in the Indian city of Chaul (south of modern Bombay). From here began his almost three-year wanderings around the country. Nikitin wrote down everything that interested him in his diary: about dark-skinned, long-haired residents, about the fact that rich people and “princes” dress luxuriously, and ordinary people walk almost naked; about the magnificent trips of the Sultan, accompanied by a thousand troops and 300 elephants dressed in gilded blankets; about the plight of Indian peasants, ruined by endless taxes and levies.

He himself aroused everyone's curiosity. Crowds followed him, looking with interest at his unusual clothes, white complexion, brown hair...

Afanasy Nikitin visited many cities of the Deccan Highlands. He lived in Junnar for two months. Here he saw the beginning of the summer monsoons, which brought relative coolness. Nikitin called this time of year “winter,” noting that “there is water and mud everywhere.” The rain continued, according to Nikitin, “day and night for four months.” An observant traveler noticed that the arrangement of stars in the sky in India is different than in Russia. He became friends with many Indian families. This helped him notice the peculiarities of the customs and morals of the population. He was struck by the terrible disunity between Muslims and Hindus, the division of the population into religious sects that did not recognize each other.

In Bidar, Nikitin sold his horse at a profit. One day his friends invited him to a colorful celebration of the “night of the god Shiva” in the city of Parvat. Nikitin very accurately and in detail described this holiday, which was attended by up to 100 thousand people. Nikitin saw a lot of interesting things in this city. He was especially impressed by the remarkable architectural structures created by the Indian people.

Nikitin also collected interesting information about those areas of India where he himself was not able to visit: about the large coastal city of Calicut, about the island of Ceylon, the place of mining of precious stones and the elephant market. The Russian traveler also heard about the distant countries of the East - about the country of Shabot, “where silk and pearls are born” (Indochina), about the country of Chin and Machin, from where porcelain is brought (China).

Nikitin increasingly remembers his native land. There is no country like it in the world, he exclaims. At the beginning of 1472, Nikitin set off from the seaside city of Dabula on his way back. For a whole month the storm tossed the ship. In October 1472, Nikitin reached the Black Sea city of Trobzon (Trebizond). Ahead lay the third sea that he had to cross. The first was the Caspian, or Khvalynskoe, the second was the Arabian Sea (Indian). Having agreed with the sailors, Nikitin crossed to the coast of Crimea. The ship went to Balaklava, then to Gurzuf and finished the voyage to Cafe (Feodosia). These cities were Genoese colonies at that time and conducted large trade with Russia, Poland, and Lithuania. In the Cafe Nikitin met Russian merchants. Together with them he went home. On the road, not far from Smolensk, Nikitin died at the end of 1472.

Thus ended Nikitin’s unprecedented journey “across three seas.” His fellow travelers gave the notebook with Nikitin’s notes to Moscow to the chief clerk of Ivan III, Vasily Mamyrev, who ordered their inclusion in the chronicle. “Walking across Three Seas” by Afanasy Nikitin is a remarkable geographical work of the 15th century, one of the best sources on the history of medieval India. In 1955, a monument to the brave Russian traveler was unveiled in Kalinin on the banks of the Volga.

The oldest journey on Earth

The most ancient journey known to science for certain is the expedition sent from Egypt by Queen Hatshepsut three and a half thousand years ago. An inscription on an ancient Egyptian temple tells about this expedition. “A journey by sea,” it says, “a happy sailing to the east. Safe arrival in the country of Punt to deliver wonderful things to every foreign country... This did not happen under other kings... A vast region that the Egyptians knew only by hearsay... The inhabitants of Punt knew nothing about the Egyptians... The ships are loaded to capacity wonderful products of the country of Punt: ebony and real ivory, raw gold, fragrant resin, baboons, monkeys, greyhounds, leopard skins... A journey by sea and a safe arrival and a joyful landing..."

Where was this country of Punt, the shores of which were reached by Egyptian sailors? Scientists suggest that the ancient Egyptians called Somalia, the easternmost tip of Africa, Punt. Scientists have precisely established the date of this journey - it began in the summer of 1493 BC. e. After the first trip, the connection with the country of Punt became permanent. Thus, one of the tombstone inscriptions glorifies the helmsman Khnemhotep for the fact that he sailed at least 11 times with the helmsman Khvi to the country of Punt. But then, due to the decline of ancient Egypt, travel stopped.