CHY 4U1 – Image Analysis
The Age of Discovery – The Caravel
Discussing the Illustration:
1. Shipbuilding breakthroughs in the 15th century were also key to the age of exploration.
Shown here is a CARAVEL. The Caravel’s lateen (triangular) sails, its rudder, and its
sleek design were keys to making overseas exploration possible. Can you explain
these features and what made them so important?
2. The Caravels shown above are those of the Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias. Who
was he and why was he so important to the age of discovery?
3. Dias, like many Portuguese explorers, hoped to replace Middle East caravan and Indian
Ocean traders by finding a direct sea route to Asia. His motives were economic, but
also religious. Can you explain what religious motive he had – and how a direct sea
route to Asia would have given him and other Europeans a big victory in what they saw
as an effort to defend Christianity?