November 2022
The Second Age of Exploration is a fascinating topic that is well-covered and analyzed by historians. Through explorers such as Captain James Cook, Alexander von Humboldt, and David Livingstone, one can grasp not only the transformation they partook in, but the true essence of the age. One can also further this understanding by understanding the context in which these transformations occurred, both at home in Europe and in countries abroad such as America. Through the materials assigned for the module, one can grasp both the bigger picture of the Second Age of Exploration and understand specifically what made that occur.
Pyne’s focus in part two of The Great Ages of Discovery (University of Arizona Press, 2021) is centered around the overarching transformation that led to the Second Age of Exploration. By discussing many of the individual transformations and monumental advances, the author paints a well-rounded yet mildly vague interpretation of the differences between the First and Second Ages. The nominal point that Pyne makes is that the inclusion of science, both old and new, in both the voyages and in the explorers themselves allowed for greater advances for society to make. By touching on various explorers such as Alexander von Humboldt, Captain Cook, Livingstone, and Lewis and Clark, Pyne proves that not only was there a definite shift in discovery, but an evolution. This is also seen in the general goals and aims of the Second Age, in which society moved from finding undiscovered lands towards exploring the interiors of what has already been discovered. The text tracks this evolution, discussing different aspects such as how native encounters were handled, the systems, theories, and inventions that aided explorers, the cultural evolution running parallel to it, and the implications of it. Pyne does not go anywhere near as in-depth in his discussions of the explorers Alexander von Humboldt or Captain James Cook, or his explanation of the Nile voyages as the other authors, however the text provides a great first look at these topics. While there is more to be desired from these discussions, the other authors essentially build upon the base knowledge provided by Pyne.
Horwitz’s Blue Latitudes (Picador, 2002) is an interesting mix of historical text and travelogue, in which the life and voyages of Captain James Cook is discussed at length. In this text, Horwitz himself is essentially recreating the voyages Captain Cook embarked on, stopping at every significant place possible to better understand the esteemed explorer. Horwitz blends these two writing styles together seamlessly, giving an extremely detailed level of context about Cook’s actions and probable thoughts before providing his own experience. This journey took the author to places such as Australia, Hawaii, Tahiti, Tonga, and many other islands and places in between. Interestingly, Horwitz seemed very interested in gathering the locals’ opinions on Captain Cook in every place he visited, which gave yet even more context to the implications of both Cook and the Second Age of Discovery as well. The manner in which the author paints the Captain is very romantic, perhaps not overly so, but one could clearly tell that Horwitz was both writing about and following in the footsteps of his hero. One cannot help but share the same feeling upon reading the book, for Horwitz expresses how influential, barrier breaking, innovative, and driven Cook was at every chance. By no means is this a detriment to the historical quality of his text, but there seemed to be very little criticism towards the explorer. Horwitz discusses at length the innovations in discovery that Cook both utilized and mastered – especially his forward thinking during the many native encounters his crew made. So much so, in fact, that “He was also determined, as before, to keep the islanders free of the ‘Venereal distemper’”[1], an aim that was highly unlike other voyagers. Horwitz goes in-depth on various aspects of Cook, an image that was built not only from Cook’s own journals, but from others’ aboard as well. This gives not only a well-rounded and informed view of the Captain, but also an extremely in-depth one. In the same vein, the Captain James Cook Timeline is a helpful tool that notes the time of the major events that took place in Cook’s life. It highlights numerous events that Horwitz discussed at length, such as the landing at Tahiti, the circumnavigation of New Zealand, and the explorer’s death. Regardless of the redundancy, it was great for understanding the scope of time pertaining to Cook’s distinguished career and life. This is also similar to Professor Fernlund’s Search for Captain Cook, in which photographs were taken at various important places that Cook visited himself. This gave great physical context to the places, for being able to look at a photograph of a place can sometimes be more effective than reading its description.
Helmut de Terra, in Humboldt The Life and Times of Alexander von Humboldt 1769-1859 (Borzoi, 1955) offers an extremely insightful discussion of Alexander von Humboldt, giving in-depth looks at the personal life and voyaging life of the esteemed explorer. De Terra paints Humboldt as a “flame of knowledge on the threshold of a new age”[2], a true “renaissance man” – a jack of all trades, but master of all. The text explains the explorer’s early years and family life as to what drove him to seek such scholarly advancement – he was a loner as a child, and his mother “could see in them [Alexander and his brother] only objects for duty and ambition.”[3] Once Humboldt was grown, De Terra discusses his work in mining and the advancements made in worker safety and prospecting that transformed the industry. This was, in essence, training for Humboldt’s true dream – to explore the world. As part of this training, the explorer spent a considerable amount of time in France, surrounded by names such as Goethe, leading him to become extremely curious about and proficient in countless scholarly areas of study: Geography, Natural Science, Mathematics, Astronomy, and many more. This would eventually lead Humboldt to his South American voyage, in which the Amazon was mapped, thousands of species identified and categorized, gold prospecting, and mountains such as Chimborazo were summitted and studied. Once finished with this voyage, Humboldt seemingly dedicated his life to writing, compiling countless scholarly repots, essays, and volumes of books, which caused waves in the scholarly community. De Terra certainly provides an incredibly detailed, well-rounded view of the explorer and his life.
The Alexander von Humboldt and the United States: Art, Nature, and Culture curator’s tour gave fantastic physical insight into the life and voyages of Humboldt. The curator discusses many of the impacts of the explorer’s voyages on American life, specifically highlighting his short time in the United States and his correspondence with President Jefferson, among others. The gallery holds countless paintings and maps, many made by Humboldt himself, that give an extreme level of context to how influential the man was. The narration/presentation did seem quite focused on the American aspect of Humboldt’s adventures, leaving quite a bit more to be desired from his time in Paris or Germany. Despite this, the curator’s tour is a great showcase of physical items that seem to make one feel closer to the explorer himself.
Morehead’s The White Nile (Perennial, 1960) encompasses the complex and unfortunate tale of the search for the source of the White Nile in Africa. The text encompasses this tale of many voyages undertaken by several key figures such as David Livingstone, Charles Gordon, Henry Stanley, John Speke, and Richard Burton in a manner that is extremely informative and captivating. Starting with Speke and Burton’s first expedition, confusion and combatting theories were rife in this search, which continued throughout. Morehead then moves to Livingstone and Stanley, describing the former as having “that quality in which the Arabs describe as baraka. In the most improbable circumstances he had the power of enhancing life and making it appear better than it was before.”[4] Livingstone, in this text, seems to be quite the character yet appears to be an embodiment of the “true explorer’s spirit”. The text then moves on to discuss the implications of Europe’s search for the Nile’s source, bringing to the table the topic of Mahdism and the several attempts to crush the Arabic slave trade. These attempts saw numerous failures, such as the Gordon fiasco in Khartoum and the Muslim revolt’s large land grabs. Morehead captures many important details of this topic through his text, which seemingly would be difficult to perform given the large scale and wide scope of research. One important thing to note about this book is that there was heavy focus on the implications of the search for the Nile’s source, taking into account perspectives of Arab slavers, African kings and tyrants, and other researchers in the area. This allows the reader to attain an extremely strong grasp on the different perspectives that play out in the various situations humanity has experienced that are similar to this one. Morehead clearly brings to the table an informed, non-biased view that is extremely helpful in understanding the bigger picture.
The Story of Europe Part 3 (2017) is a documentary that discusses the history of Europe’s expansion, starting from the raids and spreading out of the Vikings, to the German Hanseatic League, followed by Christopher Columbus and ending with the rise of the British Empire. The documentary explains that “The history of Europe’s expansion is a narrative of entrepreneurial spirit, technology, curiosity, and courage – but also a violent suppression and exploitation.”[5] Essentially, all of the great and well-known characteristics that allowed Europe to expand into what we know now and knew of antiquity included many examples of terrible oppression and the exploitation of goods, land, and people. Exploration, as innocent as it was, would normally always be followed by conquest – showcased by the British Empire extensively. This documentary certainly provides a great deal of context to the cultural and physical happenings in Europe during the periods leading up to the Second Age of Exploration, which furthers one’s understanding of the topic as a whole.
The Story of Europe Part 4 (2017) commences in the Renaissance, the “era of the image”[6] in which art became highly influential and scholarship began its course. The documentary explains that the Renaissance was possible because of an ancient Roman text written by Lucretius and “a critical mass of talented people among whom ideas… could fall on fertile ground and germinate.”[7] This directly coincides with the transformation that came during the Second Age of Exploration, in which great benefit was gained by the “after-effects” of the Renaissance. Stemming from the era of rebirth, European scientists and scholars began to perform experiments, fueled by competition between different universities, countries, and schools of thought. This led to the findings of the likes of Newton and Darwin and inspired those such as Da Vinci and Shakespeare – even today, their impacts on the world are felt in research; CERN’s atomic work being a perfect example. All of this led to a revolution of sorts in culture, in which Louis XIV of France transformed the world with extreme refinement in the arts, fashion, and idea of luxury. This documentary, like its previous part, gives valuable context to the Second Age of Exploration by discussing and explaining the cultural waves that were being made in the home continent. A visible parallel can be drawn from the cultural transformation that occurred in Europe and the scientific refinement of discovery in this era.
My overall reaction to the materials assigned for this module is that I am now obsessed with the explorers of the Second Age. To see the influx and utility of science, something that is both so widespread and mainstream, completely transform the way in which people discovered new lands was flat out exhilarating for me to read about. The books, videos, and slideshows assigned gave such a high degree of insight on the topic that when engaging in them, I fully felt as if I were voyaging side by side with these god-like men.
When reading Horwitz, the general theme of explorers-turned-scholars was very obvious. It seemed as if one person could not embody that idea more, yet de Terra’s discussion of Humboldt trumped that notion. It became clear to me that this transformation was not made by one man, it was made by a conglomerate of both explorers and the scholarly culture within Europe at the time. Morehead’s discussion of the Nile, in a way, summed the new notion up fairly well in the fact that we saw several scholarly explorers attempting their way through Africa. I also feel that the order in which I read the books, while chosen at random, was also great for building the bigger picture of the Second Age of Exploration – for the most part, it was chronologically ordered, which essentially gave me a timeline of the transformations.
Horwitz’s text was most profound to me, specifically because frankly, I thought it was incredibly cool that he essentially recreated Captain Cook’s voyages himself. This is an aspect of studying history that I had never thought of before, yet I find now to be extremely important. One can read all the books they want on a particular topic, but actually physically being in those places allows one to grasp the more-important bigger picture. It can allow one to understand the impact of, say, an explorer, or understand the people that said explorer interacted with. I am going to Peru this summer for a wedding and a vacation, and I certainly plan to visit some of the sites that Humboldt was at, and I certainly plan to ask the locals their opinion on him. Horwitz has motivated me to find an explorer to follow in the footsteps of and write my own book about it – I am not sure who it is that I wish to do this on, but the idea and craving for it is quite firm.
As mentioned previously, the videos and slideshows assigned gave a lot of context to the happenings in Europe at the time, which furthered my understanding that the transformation had to occur in Europe as well as within exploration. One simply could not have happened without the other, it seems. The cultural transformations that took place throughout the Second Age of Exploration were so great, so large that we still feel their impacts today.
Once again, I cannot express how enamored I became with the explorers throughout these materials, so much so that I have decided that it is the area of study I wish to engage in during my Graduate degree. It was thrilling to realize just how learned these explorers really were; Humboldt himself could have taught an entire university! Seeing exactly how science and scholasticism can shape an entire aspect of human civilization gave me the largest degree of scholarly yearning – I want to be these explorers. To me, this exact feeling is why I yearn to become a true historian.
Bibliography
“Alexander Von Humboldt and the United States: Art, Nature, and Culture” Curator’s Video Tour. Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-p96np-Pw4
“Captain James Cook Timeline.” Royal Museums Greenwich. Accessed November 6, 2022. https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/captain-james-cook-timeline.
Horwitz, Tony. Blue Latitudes. New York, N.Y: Picador, 2003.
Moorehead, Alan. The White Nile. London: Perennial, 2008.
Fernlund, Kevin. Professor Fernlund’s Search for Captain Cook. 2019
Terra, Helmut De. Humboldt: The Life and Times of Alexander Von Humboldt, 1769-1859. New York: Borzoi Books, 1955.
The Story of Europe, Part 3. Ambitions and Conquests. 2017 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLoC2k1ig4o
The Story of Europe, Part 4. Ambitions and Conquests. 2017 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py0uxliieL8
[1] Horwitz, 380
[2] De Terra, 03
[3] De Terra, 09
[4] Morehead, 106
[5] Story of Europe Part 3, 0:02:00
[6] Story of Europe Part 4, 0:05:00
[7] Story of Europe Part 4, 0:12:14
Dalton G. King 