The Phoenician, Egyptian, and Greek Oceanography

As you learned in this topic, the contributions of these ancient peoples helped set a grand stage for future ocean explorations, a tradition driven by the same quest for knowledge and adventure that continues today.

Greek Bireme, Public Domain

Curiosity is a powerful motivator for today's oceanographic explorations in much the same way it motivated ancient civilizations to voyage out beyond their shores and into the vast oceans. Although the Egyptians earned the credit for being the first to venture into the oceans, it was the Polynesians who first settled many areas around the Pacific Islands and learned how to travel successfully around the open ocean. Later, the Phoenicians learned how to use the land and stars for navigating the Mediterranean Sea. Taking oceanography a giant leap ahead, the Greeks introduced the known world to their highly accurate maps.