Originally published on December 30, 2024 at 9:38 AM (Episode 390)
Introduction
He was a bold man who first ate an oyster,” observed Jonathan Swift; and in fact the first human interaction with the Atlantic Ocean was probably eating shellfish, traces of which can be found along the Western Cape of South Africa dating back 160,000 years ago. When humans began to finally live in numbers along the ocean coast, their culture changed.
From the first humans who ate oysters on South Africa’s western coast, to Bronze Age sailors exploring European shores, the Atlantic has always been central to human history. By the time Europeans set out across the wider ocean, they had already learned the lessons of navigation, commerce, and conquest in the pre-Columbian Atlantic.
About the Guest
John Haywood is a historian of the Vikings and early maritime history. His most recent book is Ocean: A History of the Atlantic before Columbus (Pegasus, 2024).
For Further Investigation
John Haywood, Ocean: A History of the Atlantic before Columbus (Pegasus, 2024)
—, Northmen: The Viking Saga, AD 793-1241 (Thomas Dunne, 2016)
Barry Cunliffe, Facing the Ocean: The Atlantic and Its Peoples (OUP, 2002)
Felipe Fernández-Armesto, Pathfinders: A Global History of Exploration (W.W. Norton and Company, 2007)
Related Episodes
“The World the Plague Made”—Jamie Belich on what happened after the Atlantic was crossed
“Enemies of All”—which it’s about pirates
“Mutiny!”—another nautically related episodes
Listen & Discuss
Could you have been the first to taste an oyster—or cross an ocean? Share this episode with a fellow explorer at heart.
