Exploration is what you do when you want to learn more about what's out there in the big wide world.
Exploration is the act of searching for the purpose of discovery of information or resources. Exploration occurs in all non-sessile animal species, including humans. In human history, its most dramatic rise was during the Age of Discovery when European explorers sailed and charted much of the rest of the world for a variety of reasons. Since then, major explorations after the Age of Discovery have occurred for reasons mostly aimed at information discovery.
In scientific research, exploration is one of three purposes of empirical research (the other two being description and explanation). The term is often used metaphorically. For example, an individual may speak of exploring the Internet, sexuality, etc.
Phoenician galley sailings
The Phoenicians (1550 BCE–300 BCE) traded throughout the Mediterranean Sea and Asia Minor though many of their routes are still unknown today. The presence of tin in some Phoenician artifacts suggests that they may have traveled to Britain. According to Virgil's Aeneid and other ancient sources, the legendary Queen Dido was a Phoenician from Tyre who sailed to North Africa and founded the city of Carthage.
Carthaginean exploration of Western Africa
Hanno the Navigator (500 BC), a Carthaginean navigator explored the Western Coast of Africa.
Greek & Roman exploration of Northern Europe and Thule
The Greek explorer from Marseille, Pytheas (380 – c. 310 BC) was the first to circumnavigate Great Britain, explore Germany, and reach Thule (most commonly thought to be the Shetland Islands or Iceland).
Romans -under Augustus emperor- reached and explored all the Baltic Sea
Roman explorations
Africa Exploration
The Romans organized expeditions to cross the Sahara desert with five different routes:
through the western Sahara, toward the Niger river and actual Timbuktu.
through the Tibesti mountains, toward Lake Chad and actual Nigeria
through the Nile river, toward actual Uganda.
though the western coast of Africa, toward the Canary Islands and the Cape Verde islands.
through the Red Sea, toward actual Somalia and perhaps Tanzania.
All these expeditions were supported by legionaries and had mainly a commercial purpose. Only the one done by emperor Nero seemed to be a preparative for the conquest of Ethiopia or Nubia: in 62 AD two legionaries explored the sources of the Nile river.
One of the main reasons of the explorations was to get gold using the camel to transport it.[1]
The explorations near the African western and eastern coasts were supported by Roman ships and deeply related to the naval commerce (mainly toward the Indian Ocean). Romans organized several explorations also in Northern Europe, and as far as Asia up to China .