Download The Great Age of Discovery, Volume 1: Columbus, Magellan, and the Early Explorations AudioBook Free
In the area of 400 years, Western man methodically set out to explore and map the entire earth. During some of the most dangerous expeditions ever mounted, an extraordinary group of determined men forced passages through vast oceans, dark jungles, and withering deserts. Never has their like been seen since. What drove these soldiers, sailors, and civilians to leave the comforts of civilized life and face the horrors of shipwreck, starvation, cannibals, and disease? The principal motivations were fame, fortune, and adventure...sometimes all three. But with many of these explorers there is also a sense of duty, the idea that it was their destiny to find new lands, new trading routes, to help expand the prominence of these king and country, and also to illuminate the dark corners of the earth to resolve the geological riddles that had puzzled humanity for eons. In Paul Herrmann's great synthesis of anthropology, archaeology, medicine, and wonderful narrative history, we discover the story behind the fantastic expeditions. We learn how these were organized and completed, what happened when Europeans confronted strange and often savage societies, and what happened to these explorers upon their return to Europe. We also learn what impact their discoveries had on primitive cultures and European society. But this history is also much more. The result can be an unbelievable picture of mankind swept up in the dramatic passage from enforced isolation to a dynamic worldwide trading network. Volume 1 follows the voyages of Columbus, da Gama, Magellan, Cortes, Pizarro, and others as the Western hemisphere is uncovered and mapped. After Magellan's voyage, the world of trade requires a revolutionary turn and the fortunes of Europe and the Mediterranean are changed forever.
