For more than two centuries before Columbus, Europeans started to become enthused with the ancient spirit of learning. The people rediscovered the ancient classics and started secular learning once more and this age was especially influenced by the Pythagorean understanding of geometry from around the sixth century BC. These Pythagoreans had taught the sphericity of the earth and as

early as in the third century BC the earth’s size was computed almost nearly correct. Aristotle’s word was relied on heavily and because of this, many controversial facts were accepted in the Renaissance universities. Because there was such a revival in learning, progress in the art of navigation skyrocketed. Although no one is sure exactly where the magnetic compass originated from, the principle was known by the twelfth century, and in the fifteenth century mariners began to use the astrolabe. The cross-staff had long been used by land-locked astronomers to sight stars and find the latitude. Even with this advanced technology it was still extremely dangerous and deadly when traveling in the open sea because it was almost impossible for sailors to calculate their path.

Because these European countries began to learn again and to except the natural advancement of culture, they were able to create the tools they need to become unified and discover a whole new world not just in the literal sense. The growth of trade and the nation states elevated the thirst for discovery and expansion to a new level because each nation wanted to be more powerful than the other and what better way than to have the most of everything. So, in conclusion, the initial reasons the Europeans began to explore and settle the New Wor

Some topics in this essay:
East Asia, BC Pythagoreans, Isabella Castile, Marco Polo, Columbus Europeans, Holy Land, European Renaissance, , Roses Spain, Henry VII, rise nation, european countries, trade commerce, world revival, kings queens, revival learning, exploration settlement, growth trade, century bc, merchant class,