Exploration is the search for information or resources, occurring in all non-sessile animal species, including humans. Its most significant rise was during the Age of Discovery when European explorers charted the world. In scientific research, exploration is one of three purposes: description and explanation. The Phoenicians traded throughout the Mediterranean Sea and Asia Minor, and the Han dynasty explored the Eastern Northern Hemisphere. Han diplomat Zhang Qian discovered entire countries, including the remnants of Alexander the Great’s conquests. He described Dayuan, Kangju, and Daxia as agricultural and urban countries, and Shendu and Anxi as territories further west.
