1. Means to Explore

2. Borrowers
Renaissance Europeans borrowed ideas and knowledge from other times and places
They were part of a vast trading network from Asia into Africa
Exchange of ideas and knowledge
Openness and curiosity about the rest of the world came out of this and were part of their worldview
Their knowledge of the outside world was very limited, however
Other places were thought to be exotic and mysterious
Travel books were extremely popular
They were often full of misinformation

3. Maps of the World
Ptolemy was not just an astronomer, he was also a geographer
His manuscript Geographia was re- discovered during the Renaissance
It reflected the knowledge of the world around the year 150
It was published in the Renaissance with maps made by cartographers
Italian monk Fra Mauro produced a map for King Alfonso V of Portugal in 1459
He combined Ptolemy's ideas and those of explorers, and from Arab and Chinese sources

4. Prince Henry the Navigator
Prince Henry of Portugal came to be known as Prince Henry the Navigator
He had a great interest in ships and navigation
Prince Henry became a patron of Portuguese explorers
He sponsored many voyages along the coast of Africa
He established a centre at Sagres where those involved in navigation could meet and share ideas
Cartographers, mathematicians, astronomers, sailors and navigators
They improved navigational instruments and created maps
They created tables to help determine latitude

5. Navigation
Navigation is the science of determining the course, position and distance travelled by a ship
It comes from the Latin words navis “ship” and agere “drive”

6. Assignment /14
Read page 117 in your textbook and answer the following questions
1) What are the names of the four navigational instruments? /4
2) What are their uses? /4
3) What is the origin of their creation? /4
4) Which of the instruments do you think was the most important? Why? /2