tour 1 of 23
Enlightenment: Trade and Discovery
Enlightenment: Trade and Discovery
Christopher Columbus is said to have 'discovered' America in
1492, but we know now that Vikings began visiting the northeast
coast from the tenth century. In any case, America was hardly a
'discovery' to the peoples who already lived there.
During the Enlightenment, explorers and natural historians such
as Captain James Cook and surveyed lands that were new to the West,
identifying trading opportunities and making scientific
observations. Trading companies like the Honourable East India
Company with its vast bureaucracy and own army, expanded their
activities widely during the long eighteenth century.
Some collected 'curiosities' as souvenirs or for sale back home.
Increasingly, however, these objects were used to provide knowledge
about the variety of different ways of life of people around the
world and especially the relationships between them. This led to a
growing realisation of the shared humanity of the people of the
world.
This is one of a series of tours exploring the themes of the
British Museum gallery, Enlightenment: Discovering the
World in the Eighteenth Century.
Supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund