Throughout the ages, people have been tempted to travel in search of food and a new place to live. Curiosity and an adventurous spirit also played a role. The first travelers were actually the prehistoric people who left Africa about two million years ago. By about 10,000 years ago, humans were settling all over the world. Some predecessors reached their destination on foot via land bridges between continents that are now underwater, such as those that once connected Asia and North America or Britain and Europe. Others cross the oceans on rafts or in canoes carved from logs.
With the rise of civilizations, people continued to travel. The Greeks not only settled in present-day Greece and the surrounding islands, but also in Turkey and as far west as France. All over the world, empires began to rise as people discovered new and new lands. The vast Roman Empire stretched from Spain to Syria. When it disintegrated in the late 5th century, smaller European kingdoms formed, each with their own ambitions.

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