Exploration And Its Positive Influence On Civilizations

Curiosity has sparked man since the beginning of time. This curiosity overcomes the mind and exploration is born. The enduring issue, exploration is the action of traveling in or through an unfamiliar area in order to learn about it. Exploration ranges from walking a few feet and coming across a new wonder, to traveling thousands of miles across an ocean and discovering a new world. The impact of travel and finding new things has continued to endure over time. Through exploration, new lands can be discovered to be settled on and grow into booming civilizations, new trade routes can be found, making travel and trade more accessible to nations. A growth in this trade stimulates cultural diffusion and production of goods. These positive aspects influenced by exploration help civilizations to growth, expand, and evolve. The original reasons for exploration were trading and expansion of land.

The post-classical civilization of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), or the Mongol Empire was a great stimulator of exploration who explored to trade, spread their innovation and goods, and to expand upon the empire. The Yuan Dynasty was under the rule of powerful Kublai Khan and the Mongol Empire was experiencing a golden age. Kublai Khan and his army Conquered China and united all of the Mongols under one rule. Under the golden age, innovations in medicine and astronomy were prevalent. The Grand Canal (constructed during the Sui Dynasty) underwent mass expansion due to the Mongols, and reached the capital city of Daidu (present-day Beijing. ) The Mongols expanded their Empire by horseback. Many inventions by the empire helped make riding by horseback the most efficient method of travel. These included the stirrups, saddle, and composite bow. The Mongol Empire had help through a well-known outside explorer by the name of Marco Polo (1254-1324. ) Marco Polo was a merchant from Venice, Italy. He came from a family of explorers, with his brothers and father traveling well before him. This influenced his expeditions to Eastern China. Polo traveled along what is now known as the Silk Road. When he reached China, he entered the Mongol Empire. This was the start of a period of twenty-four years that would impact the Mongols and Marco Polo forever.

Marco Polo became trusted by Kublai Khan and was sent on expeditions for the ruler. One example of these expeditions was when Polo and two other explorers, Niccolò and Maffeo, traveled to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem to obtain holy oil for Kublai Khan. After 24 years in Eastern Asia, Polo longed to go home to Venice. On his way back, he was caught during a battle by Genoa. While in prison, Polo met Rustichello of Pisa, who was a known writer. They joined together and wrote the book “The Travels of Marco Polo. ” This is how Marco’s travels became known. In his books, he described Kublai Khan and his palaces, he also described innovations such as coal, paper currency, glasses, and a postal service. His book helped spread culture, as these inventions were not known to Europe. The Mongols encouraged travel in their empire until their fall, this allowed merchants and craftsmen from Europe to travel to China for the first time. European and Asian goods spread along the Silk Road. This demand for products from foreign countries expanded and people wanted to find an easier water trade route. In 1328, China took back their land from the Mongols. This sparked a new age of exploration. The main change from exploration in the Mongol Empire to the Ming Dynasty is the form of travel. Form of exploration evolved from traveling by horseback and foot along the Silk Road, to traveling by ocean in great ships. The Mongol empire split into seperate parts called khanates, which were ruled by a khan after the loss of their land in China. This split resulted in anarchy and war throughout the land. This encouraged traders to use sea routes, as traveling by land was too dangerous due to outbreak of fighting. By 1400, most long distance trade was by sea.

The Ming Dynasty was formed after all of the land was declared China’s under emperor Yongle. Travel flourished under Yongle. He proved very ambitious as the empire took over Vietnam and attempted to overpower Japan. They set out to make a very powerful naval/exploration fleet, as Emperor Yongle wanted to trade on the Indian Ocean. The Emperor ordered the construction of 3,500 ships, and had Zheng He, the admiral of the Ming Navy, supervise the construction of the boats and command the fleet. Zheng He was a prominent figure in Ming exploration.

The Mings were very advanced for their age, as shown by the creation of a nine-masted ship that was 400 feet long. Zheng He led the dynasty on many voyages to seek luxurious goods in other civilizations and receive gifts from other rulers. The first voyage had 62 treasure ships, along with 200 other ships which carried horses, grain, and 28,000 armed troops. The main goal of the voyage was to travel from South China Sea through the Indian Ocean to Calicut, India, and back. Five more voyages were complete to Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, to East Africa. The journey brought foreign animals such as giraffes and zebras as gifts to Emperor Yongle. With the change from horses and foot to ships, the world saw a revolutionary advancement in exploration and travel. An example of continuity following the Ming Dynasty is Spain and Christopher Columbus by the continued use of ships and waterways to explore. Many historians have come to the conclusion that if the Ming Dynasty had not fallen as soon as it did, they would have been the first civilization to reach North America. Although the Mings did not reach the New World, Spain continued the legacy of Ancient China and discovered the land. Christopher Columbus asked many nations to sponsor his travels to find the Northwest Passage, or a straight water pathway connecting Spain to Asia and India, however, Spain was the only willing sponsor. He was sponsored by Spanish monarchs Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile. He set out to find the route to Asia, as they had expensive and luxurious goods such as silk and spices that were wanted by Spain and Europe.

On Columbus’s first voyage, he sailed on the famous ships, the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria. Spain and Christopher Columbus hold the title as the first Europeans to discover the ‘new world. ’ Although he made outstanding contributions to exploration, not everything was positive, Columbus traveled from island to island in the Caribbean in search for for pearls, stones, gold, silver, and spices. On that first voyage, he left 40 men behind in a settlement on Hispaniola, and on his second, he gave slaves to Queen Isabella as a gift, and she wasn’t happy at this action. On his third voyage, he visited Trinidad and South America and was later was arrested for horrific conditions on the settlement of Hispaniola. Monarch Ferdinand was convinced Columbus had more exploration potential and granted him a fourth voyage, where traveled across the Atlantic and discovered present-day Panama. Christopher Columbus and Spain influenced and started waves of exploration to the eastern side of the globe.