Sea in culture of barbarian invaders and knowledge of geography took a backward step. In the seventh century, Isidore of Seville produced a "wheel map" in which Asia, Africa and Europe were arranged like segments in an orange, separated by the "Mare Mediterranean", "Nilus" and "Tanais" and surrounded by "Oceanus". It was not until the fifteenth century that Ptolemy's maps were used again and Henry the Navigator of Portugal initiated ocean exploration and maritime research. Encouraged by him, Portuguese navigators explored, mapped and charted the west coast of Africa and the Eastern Atlantic and this knowledge prepared the way for the great voyages
Cluster of Excellence "Asia and Europe in a Global Context" Cluster of Excellence "Asia and Europe in a Global Context" The Cluster of Excellence "Asia and Europe in a Global Context" is a research facility that has been funded in the framework of the German Universities Excellence Initiative of the federal state governments of Germany since October 2007. It is a trans- and interdisciplinary network of researchers affiliated with Heidelberg University. Key research areas of the Cluster are the processes of exchange between cultures of Asia and Europe, ranging from migration and trade to the formation of concepts and institutions. The Cluster aims at enhancing the understanding of the multi-layered