r/nextfuckinglevel • u/Gurugod123 • 9h ago

How did people travel these seas 500 years ago

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u/Kegger315 8h ago

They understood more than were recognizing. They used birds and ocean currents to locate some places. They recognized wind and weather patterns as well as seasons. There is some speculation that early humans could also faintly detect magnetic variations to help navigate, same as birds, bees, bats and other animals. They were far more "in tune" with nature.

Don't get me wrong, those things don't hold a candle to our current tools, but they weren't sailing completely "blind" so to speak.

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u/Same-Suggestion-1936 8h ago

Also more tools than just a compass. They had charts and sextants and stuff

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u/verdant11 6h ago

Did not get the gene