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It's nearly impossible to get lost at sea today. With GPS to guide you, even if the wind sends you off track, you can easily find your way. However, sailors of the past had no such safety net. A sudden storm or a powerful current could prove deadly. Given the immense dangers of sea travel without modern tools, it's almost unbelievable that anyone ventured far before the advent of advanced navigation techniques.
Yet, countless sailors did. For centuries—perhaps even millennia—before Columbus’s famous voyages, brave seafarers navigated the world's oceans. Some sought adventure, others searched for new trade routes, while some were driven by the desire to find lands to colonize.
And this wasn’t exclusive to Europe. In recent years, scholars have uncovered substantial evidence that people were reaching new lands and islands long before the so-called Age of Discovery. What all these journeys have in common is that they were completed without modern instruments like satellites, chronometers, or even sextants. Here are ten of the most fascinating examples.
10. Ancient South Americans to the Falkland Islands
Soon after Christopher Columbus’s historic voyage to the Americas, European ships began exploring the South Atlantic. The first recorded human visits to the Falkland Islands took place in the 1500s. One report mentioned the sighting of smoke, yet the islands appeared uninhabited, and no evidence of prior human presence was found. That is, until 1998.
In that year, scientists uncovered signs of extensive burning at a site on the islands. After ruling out natural causes like lightning or volcanic activity, they determined that humans were likely responsible. The real shock, however, came from the age of the fire—around 4,800 years old. This suggests that humans made the 250-mile (102-kilometer) journey from South America to the Falklands. It’s possible they even brought animals with them. The warrah, a fox-like creature found on the islands by Europeans, presents a puzzle—how did it arrive there unless humans brought it centuries earlier?
9. Irish Hermits Journeying to Iceland
Norsemen from Norway arrived in Iceland during the ninth century, only to find that the island was already inhabited. The Irish monk Dicuil wrote of hermits who, seeking solitude for religious devotion, had retreated to remote locations. These hermits, initially from the western British islands, eventually ventured farther north, reaching the Faroe Islands. Dicuil noted that in summer, some went even further north, eventually discovering a land where the sun never set.
This land was Iceland. The name Papey, an island off Iceland’s eastern coast, serves as evidence of the Papar, or hermits. Additionally, the Icelandic saga Landnámabók mentions “Christian men” who lived on the island before the Norsemen’s arrival. By the time the Norse came, the hermits had vanished, leaving behind “Irish books, bells... and more things besides.”
8. Anglo-Saxons in Crimea
Throughout history, war has led to the displacement of many people, and the Anglo-Saxons were no exception. Following the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, a group of Anglo-Saxons attempted to resist William the Conqueror. When they realized that William's rule was here to stay, they sold their properties, purchased ships, and left England. Their journey took them to the Mediterranean, where they fought for the Byzantine emperor and earned his favor. Their descendants would go on to serve in the emperor’s guard for many years afterward.
The twist in the story is that these Anglo-Saxons ultimately settled in Crimea. Medieval chronicles and map evidence reveal settlements named after English towns and counties—such as “Londina” for London and “Susaco” for Sussex. In this way, a group of Englishmen established a new home more than 1,500 miles (2,414 kilometers) away from their original homeland. They were still present in the fourteenth century, with one chronicler noting that they toasted the emperor's health in English every Christmas!
7. Norsemen in Newfoundland
Once considered a myth, evidence of Norsemen in America was discovered by archaeologists in the 1960s. The Norse had already settled along Greenland's southern coast by the late tenth century. Around the year 1000, they sailed across the 200-mile (322-kilometer) wide Baffin Bay to what is now Canada. From there, they journeyed south along the coast until they arrived in Newfoundland, where they established a settlement at L'anse Aux Meadows.
The remains discovered at what became known as “Vinland” include Norse longhouses, huts, and a furnace. Accounts of the Norse lifestyle there have been preserved in the Vinland Sagas. Ultimately, the Norse abandoned the settlement after several violent clashes with the local population. However, Norse voyages to North America, especially to gather timber in the north, continued until the 1300s.
6. Polynesians to the Auckland Islands
The Polynesians were exceptional navigators, spreading far across the Pacific islands in the tropics. Less well-known is their journey southward. While the possibility that they reached Antarctica remains unproven, it is confirmed that they made their way to the Auckland Islands. This remote, windswept cluster of islands is located 300 miles (483 kilometers) south of New Zealand, and Polynesians arrived there centuries before Europeans did.
They stayed long enough to construct ovens, leaving behind tools and food remnants. These artifacts have been dated to about 650 years ago. The reason for the settlement’s abandonment remains unclear. Perhaps the harsh climate proved too difficult, or the settlers may have perished. The true reason may remain a mystery.
5. Vikings to the Azores
Did the Portuguese truly discover the Azores? Not quite. While Portuguese sailors first arrived in the 1400s, historians have long speculated whether they were the first to find these islands, especially considering their appearance on earlier maps. In 2021, scholars proposed a new theory: the Norse may have discovered the Azores in the early Middle Ages. Genetic analysis of mice found on the islands revealed similarities to those commonly found in Scandinavia.
But the Norse didn’t just leave behind mice. Researchers also discovered traces of animal feces in lake sediments, which were dated to well before the 1400s. Furthermore, scientists pointed out that ocean currents favored sailors from northern Europe. By the 1400s, however, the currents shifted, offering favorable winds to Portuguese sailors and leaving northern European mariners stranded.
4. Carthaginians to West Africa
Though Hannibal is the most renowned Carthaginian in history, Hanno the Navigator was almost as famous. Leading a fleet of sixty ships around 500 BC, Hanno sailed down the West African coast. The fleet established several settlements, though the exact locations remain unclear.
Our knowledge of the voyage comes from a single text, much of which is difficult to decipher. It describes torrents of fire flowing into the sea and sailors witnessing a giant mountain, believed by some to be Mount Kakulima in Guinea. Historians disagree on the extent of Hanno’s journey, but after 35 days of sailing, he turned back due to food shortages.
3. Chinese to Yemen and East Africa
The voyages of Zheng He in the early 1400s have been widely discussed, though it is unlikely that Zheng He completed a full circumnavigation of the globe. His armada of Ming ships did, however, visit many ports across the Indian Ocean during the 1410s and 1420s.
His expeditions reached the Middle East and Africa, covering over 2,500 miles (4,023 kilometers), decades before Vasco de Gama’s 1498 journey. In 1419, Chinese junks arrived in Yemen, bringing goods such as silk woven with gold, musk, and porcelain. Ming-era porcelain from this period has been found in Kenya, and even a giraffe made its way to China in 1415.
2. Native Americans to Eastern Polynesia
For many years, Easter Island was believed to be the final destination of the Polynesians as they traveled across the Pacific. However, new evidence suggests the Polynesians may have ventured even farther. In 2020, it was revealed that there had been an ancient voyage from Polynesia to South America, dating back to around 1200. The journey left a lasting mark on the DNA of several Polynesian populations. The central question remains: Who influenced whom? Genetic traces of South American DNA were found to have reached the island of Fatu Hiva around 1150, suggesting that South Americans might have already been present when the Polynesians arrived.
However, Polynesians were also exploring vast distances during the same period, making it just as likely that they reached South America, with Native Americans returning alongside them. What is indisputable, however, is that both groups were well-acquainted with long sea voyages.
1. Polynesians to Easter Island
Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, is one of the most isolated places on Earth, with the nearest populated island over 1,300 miles (2,092 kilometers) away. The Polynesians arrived sometime between 800 and 1200, having sailed at least 1,600 miles (2,575 kilometers) — possibly even farther. Their settlement sparked the development of a remarkable and distinctive culture, the most iconic result being the moai, colossal stone statues scattered across the island.
In addition to these statues, the Rapa Nui developed a unique written script known as Rongorongo. Examples of this script can be found in museums and libraries around the world, yet the ability to read it has been lost. Linguists have struggled with these enigmatic texts for many years.
The history of Easter Island, however, is not without its challenges. From the 1400s onward, widespread deforestation took a toll on the island, and by around 1650, nearly all the trees had been cut down for fuel and construction. The collapse of Rapa Nui society began, and by the time Europeans arrived in 1722, the island was still in the process of recovery.
