What Do Ancient World Maps Tell Us?
Published By: Souvenir Press
London
“In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” This was a little jingle my teacher taught the class when we were studying American history to help us remember an important date. We were told that this was the year when seaworthy ships first began to cross the Atlantic Ocean and explore new worlds. It was assumed that accurate surveying and mapping methods were not used by earlier civilizations. Another assumption found in most history texts is that the earliest humans were ape-like cavemen who gradually, over hundreds of thousands of years, learned to talk, develop tools, build houses and ships, and become civilized.
In 1492, some of the known regions of Europe and Northern Africa were not well surveyed, and maps of these areas were often inaccurate. When accurate maps of yet undiscovered parts of the world began to show up, these assumptions were challenged. So, how did Turkish admirals and other come to possess maps of places all over the world that were drawn during the 1300s AD through the 1500s AD and later? Continue reading What Do Ancient World Maps Tell Us?