TELEVISION

History's Greatest Voyages of Exploration

Series: Great Courses
4.6
(25)
sign up
Episodes
24
Rating
TVPG
Year
2015
Language
English
Publisher
The Great Courses

About

Delve into the awe-inspiring, vast, and surprisingly interconnected tale of world exploration. These 24 lectures shine a spotlight on some of the greatest and most influential explorers the world has ever known. Witness the treacherous, at times fatal, expeditions into the unknown that these adventurers embarked upon, whether to the frozen poles or the final frontier of space.

Related Subjects

Episodes

1 to 3 of 24

1. The Earliest Explorers

30m

sign up
Begin your study journey with the Vivaldi brothers' ill-fated journey to India. What drove the brothers - or drives any explorer - to take a risk and venture into the unknown? Consider that question as you look at theories on how the Pacific islands became populated starting with an epic movement 7,000 years ago.

2. The Scientific Voyage of Pytheas the Greek

30m

sign up
Meet the originator of scientific exploration, who trekked to the edge of the world so that he could see for himself what was there. Put Pytheas the Greek in the context of his time and place, sketching the Mediterranean as a cradle of civilization and examining how word of his voyage influenced later exploration.

3. St. Brendan - The Travels of an Irish Monk

30m

sign up
Consider religious motivations for exploration. Men like the Irish monk St. Brendan - who sailed the Atlantic in a tiny leather boat - sought God and fled the world's corruptions, some searching for paradise and some merely for seclusion. Examine how legendary re-workings of such real adventures left a surprising legacy that would affect later exploration.

Extended Details

  • Closed CaptionsEnglish

Artists

Vejas Gabriel Liuleviciuswriter
Vejas Gabriel Liuleviciusactor