The originator of scientific exploration treks to the edge of the world so that he can see what is there; putting Pytheas the Greek in the context of his time and place; the Mediterranean as a cradle of civilization; influencing later exploration.

Religious motivations for exploration; the Irish monk St. Brendan sails the Atlantic in a tiny leather boat; he seeks God and flees the world's corruptions; some search for paradise and some for seclusion; a legacy that affects later exploration.

Alarmed at inconsistencies in the Buddhist texts available to him, Xuanzang embarks on an illegal holy pilgrimage to acquire authoritative teachings; he brings Buddhist traditions to the Confucian Chinese; the central character in a classical novel.

The story of Leif Eriksson and the Vikings is relatively well known; Professor Liulevicius takes one deeper into why the Vikings, or Norsemen, explore; evidenced by their culture of adventure and values that press them onwards in often violent ways.

Traders travel the Silk Road since the Roman Empire; there is little awareness of what exists at the other; Marco Polo's accounts of China opens Europeans' eyes to an advanced civilization; the medieval world; Polo's travels and legacy.