Why hadn't Europeans used maritime routes before the age of exploration

i believe that the answer to the question provided above is that  establishing smaller ethnic communities within larger communities  gives more chance for people to know each other more but this might lead to the  conflict between groups.

- "bill clinton ( the 42nd u.s. president, served in office from by low unemployment, declining crime rates and a budget surplus. during clinton's second term, the u.s. economy was healthy, unemployment was low and the nation experienced a major technology boom and the rise of the internet."