Conclusion

This concluding chapter reflects on the variety of experiences early modern people had with the oceans, and why they might have been so different from modern experiences and expectations. This gap in understanding must be acknowledged by marine environmental historians if we are to fully understand early modern oceans and the people who interacted with them on their own terms. More than just a sampler of perspectives on the marine environment, this book is intended to bring together scattered pieces of research in a way that shows the richness and complexity of early modern changes to the oceans and global experiences with the marine environment. We cannot understand the early modern world without understanding the oceans.