The Phoenician, Egyptian, and Greek Oceanography

The known world was very different when the ancient Egyptians navigated the open oceans around 4000 BC.

Model of Phoenician Uluburn

Public Domain

In this topic, you'll learn about the societies that made the first voyages of the ancient world. From the Polynesians, who settled many of the Pacific Islands between 2000-600 BC, and the Phoenicians, who charted the entire Mediterranean sea from around 1000-600 BC, to the ancient Greeks who explored the oceans from 450 BC until 150 AD, ancient cultures discovered an exciting world full of opportunity previously unknown to them.

Essential Questions

• When did people begin exploring the oceans?
• Why and when did the Egyptian people begin voyaging on the oceans?
• From where did the Polynesian people originate?
• How did the Polynesian people build their ocean-going vessels?
• How did the Phoenician people contribute to oceanography?
• What were the accomplishments of the Early Greek Navigators?