The Ancient World - Greece

Greek voyages of discovery in ancient times were motivated by the desire for military victory as well as for economic power. The Greek bireme, with two decks of oarsmen, could travel long distances swiftly and efficiently, and also maneuver easily in battle. In 510 B.C., Scylax, a Greek in the Persian Navy, was one of the first to record his travels along the coastlines of India and Egypt. First he traveled overland to the source of the Indus River in the Hindu Kush Mountains of Afghanistan. He then set sail down the river to the Arabian Sea.

Following the coastline closely, Scylax explored the Gulf of Oman and the southeastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. Scylax's 30-month journey took him all the way around modern-day Saudi Arabia, through the Nile canal and into the Mediterranean Sea. With the information Scylax brought back, the Persian Emperor Darius was able to conquer the Indus River Valley and expand his empire.

Pytheas, a seaman from the Greek colony of Massalia (in what is now France), was commissioned by local merchants to find a trade route that would circumvent the Phoenician monopoly and open up the tin trade to the Greeks. Not only did Pytheas accomplish his goal, he also circumnavigated the island of Britain and explored islands in the North Sea and possibly traveled as far north as Norway. On his return home he navigated the North Sea to what is now Germany before returning to Massalia. It is believed that, of all the known ancient explorers, his voyage is the longest in terms of distance.

  See a map showing Pytheas' voyage.

ancient world
egypt | phoenicians | greece | china | polynesia | arab explorers