16th-Century Mapmaker's Intriguing Knowledge['America']

The Washington Post ^ | 17 Nov 2008 | David Brown

[BGHater]

How was it that a German priest writing in Latin and living in a French city far from the coast became the first person to tell the world that a vast ocean lay to the west of the American continents?

That is one of the bigger mysteries in the history of the Renaissance.

But it is not the only one involving Martin Waldseemueller, a map-making cleric whose own story is sufficiently obscure that his birth and death dates aren't known for certain.

Waldseemueller appears to have also known something about the contours of South America's west coast years before Vasco Núñez de Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama and Ferdinand Magellan sailed around the bottom of the continent. History books record them as the first Europeans to bring back knowledge of the Pacific Ocean.

The evidence of this knowledge is in Waldseemueller's world map of 1507, perhaps the most valuable of the 5 million maps owned by the Library of Congress. It was acquired for $10 million in 2003 and went on permanent display last year.

The map -- in near-perfect condition and with no other known copies -- is the oldest document that applies the label "America" to the land mass between Africa and Asia.

This was, of course, in honor of Amerigo Vespucci, a Florentine navigator who had sailed to the New World for the Portuguese. (His first name was Latinized to "Americus" and then feminized to "America.") The act of naming was apparently Waldseemueller's alone; there is no evidence that the term was in use at the time.

Waldseemueller's Map
A detail from Martin Waldseemueller's 1507 map of the world honors explorer Amerigo Vespucci and for the first time depicts an ocean to the west of the New World.

[BGHater]

‘America’ Ping.

[MaineConservative]

I wonder if he saw the west coast — from an alien spaceship!! LOL

[Califelephant]

He just checked it out on Google Maps, no problem.

[little jeremiah]

Bookmark for later read.

[ReneeLynn]

Lucky guess?

[SFR]

Probably an educated guess; with a pretty decent understanding of navigation and math one could understand there was probably a giant space between the west coast and China, that and a little inside knowledge from others, ie by 1542 Cabrillo had sailed to San Diego.

[SFR]

ie by 1542 Cabrillo had sailed to San Diego.
except this map was done in 1507 duh

[OneWingedShark]

Maybe he used this mysterious map, which was based on ancient maps itself.

This is a mystery.

[ml/nj]

The evidence of this knowledge is in Waldseemueller's world map of 1507, perhaps the most valuable of the 5 million maps owned by the Library of Congress. It was acquired for $10 million in 2003 and went on permanent display last year.

I know we're pi$$ing away trillions these days, but what is the government doing acquiring collector's items?

ML/NJ

[fso301]

It’s fairly clear that at the time of Columbus, mariners along the East Atlantic Coast had some level of awareness that land lay to the West.

[zek157]

The new world wasn’t that new by 1500. I think the west likely got the Pacific Coast detail from the chinese fleets. For the east coast data the basques had been fishing cod in Nova Scotia/Grand Banks from the middle ages by that time. They provided Europe the salt cod for meatless holy days from about the 900’s.

[BGHater]

Well, since Biblical times the Earth has been known to be a sphere or circle.

Isaiah 40:22 (NIV)

22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers.

[fso301]

Well, since Biblical times the Earth has been known to be a sphere or circle.

Depends on the scripture.

Job 38:4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.

Job 38:5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?

Job 38:6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;

[ConfusedAndLovingIt]

Well, since Biblical times the Earth has been known to be a sphere or circle.

And that people are essentially just large grasshoppers.

[ROLF of the HILL COUNTRY]

I think it's partly hearsay from fishermen, etc. AND remnants of knowledge from an earlier civilization.
The Piri Reis map; Plato's description of the “great western continent across the Atlantic;” other similar writings from various sources; anachronistic artifacts from antiquity, all point to the presence of a civilization comparable to that of Rome that flourished before known history.

[BGHater]

I do love tomatoes.

[Cold Heart]

Bookmarked

[SunkenCiv]

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	Gods Graves Glyphs	Thanks BGHater! This was, of course, in honor of Amerigo Vespucci, a Florentine navigator who had sailed to the New World for the Portuguese. (His first name was Latinized to "Americus" and then feminized to "America.") The act of naming was apparently Waldseemueller's alone; there is no evidence that the term was in use at the time. $10 million for this old piece of paper? Spending that money on an old worthless map -- better maps are now available -- is against the Constitution! /sarc To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
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[SunkenCiv]

thanks OneWingedShark for that link.

piri reis site:freerepublic.com

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