Today I bring you an ancient mystery…..maps, drawn in antiquity, that show areas supposedly unknown and unexplored, such as the continent of
Antarctica. How did the cartographers manage to accurately portray entire land masses that were unknown in their day and time? Could it be that
these maps, often drawn based on even older knowledge, indicate that our ancestors knew more than we realized? Where did they come by such knowledge?
You be the judge.
First up: The Piri Reis Map of 1513
In 1929, a group of historians found an amazing map, drawn on a gazelle skin. The map, research showed, was drawn by Piri Reis, a famous Turkish
Admiral and known cartographer. Reis, known for his passion for maps, had access to the Imperial Library of Constantinople. On the back of the map,
Reis left notes indicating that he drew the map based on his research in the library, and used sources that dated back as far as the fourth century
BCE or earlier.
So what makes the Piri Reis map so special?
The Piri Reis map shows the western coast of Africa, the eastern coast of South America, and the northern coast of Antarctica. The northern coastline
of Antarctica is perfectly detailed. The most puzzling however is not so much how Piri Reis managed to draw such an accurate map of the Antarctic
region 300 years before it was discovered, but that the map shows the coastline under the ice. Geological evidence confirms that the latest date Queen
Maud Land could have been charted in an ice-free state is 4000 BC.
Further and more accurate studies have proven that the last period of ice-free condition in the Antarctic ended about 6000 years ago. There are still
doubts about the beginning of this ice-free period, which has been put by different researchers everything between year 13000 and 9000 BC.
The question is: Who mapped the Queen Maud Land of Antarctic 6000 years ago? Which unknown civilization had the technology or the need to do that?
It is well-known that the first civilization, according to the traditional history, developed in the mid-east around year 3000 BC, soon to be followed
within a millennium by the Indus valley and the Chinese ones. So, accordingly, none of the known civilizations could have done such a job. Who was
here 4000 years BC, being able to do things that NOW are possible with the modern technologies?
Interesting, don’t you think?
Next up: The Orontius Finaeus Map of 1531
Discovered in the Library of Congress by Charles Hapgood in 1960, the Orontius Finaeus Map also shows an ice-free Antarctica. In fact, the map details
flowing rivers, drainage patterns, a clean coastline, and mountain ranges only recently discovered. Some people claim the Orontius Finaeus Map to be
the most accurate map of the area prior to the 1800s.
Another tidbit of proof is the Ross sea. Today huge glaciers feed into it, making it a floating ice shelf hundreds of feet thick. Yet this map and the
Reis map show estuaries and rivers at the site.
In 1949 coring was done to take samples of the ice and sediment at the bottom of the Ross Sea. They clearly showed several layers of stratification,
meaning the area went through several environmental changes. Some of the sediments were of the type usually brought down to the sea by rivers. Tests
done at the Carnegie Institute in Washington DC, which date radioactive elements found in sea water, dated the sediments at about 4000 BC, which would
mean the area was ice free with flowing rivers up until that time - exactly what is recorded on the Reis and Finaeus maps.
Who would have knowledge of the area in 4000 BC? In my understanding of world history (and admittedly I am a novice) the area was supposedly
Moving along to our next enigma….The Bauche Map of 1737
Phillip Bauche, a French geographer, drew a map of Antarctica. However, in Bauche’s map, Antarctica is drawn with two separate land masses and a
clear shoreline. Because of this, Bauche’s map was considered to be erroneous.
Then in 1958 a seismic survey of Antarctica was carried out which surprisingly showed that Antarctica was indeed two archipelago islands covered by a
thick layer of ice that made it appear as only one land mass and not only that, but that the general topography of the lands beneath the ice matches
the drawings on the Bauche map in every detail. So how on earth this can be in any way possible? This map means that Bauche was in possession of a
correct map showing Antarctica 100 years before it was discovered and not only that, but without any ice on it. Antarctica has not been in an ice free
condition for a minimum of at least 10,000 years and many scientists believe that the period of time to be more like several million years
How did Bauche know that Antarctica was actually two land masses? Could it have been an educated guess?
And finally….The Mercator Map of 1538
To appreciate why the Mercator Map of 1538 is such a marvel requires an understanding of the history of latitude and longitude and how they relate to
Latitude can be determined by using the stars or sun for observation. Longitude, however, is more difficult to calculate. You need the equation of
“distance=speed X time” and an accurate clock to calculate longitude. In the 1500s, when Mercator drew his map, no such clocks existed. In
fact, in the 1700s an actual Board of Longitude was established in England with the specific goal of determining longitude. In 1714, Sir Issac Newton
declared that the main problem was that “a watch required for such accuracy has not yet been invented.” It wasn’t until 1761 that a clock
(chronometer) was developed that could accurately assist in determining longitude.
How does this relate to the Mercator Map? Simple….the map, drawn in 1538, included accurate measurements of longitude.
The Queen then offered a prize of 20,000 pounds to any man who might build such a device and finally, in 1761, a man by the name of Harrison claimed
the prize and put forth his prototype chronometer which then "ushered in a new era of sea travel" for the world. During the 19th century maps then
began being updated with the correct degrees of longitude. However Mercator’s map of 1538 was marked with correct longitude a full 223 years before
it was discovered
As you can see, all of these maps pose some interesting questions about our known history. How did the cartographers manage to draw such accurate
maps of areas supposedly unknown? Considering that the maps were the result of research from older sources, how was such knowledge obtained? Could
it be that, somehow, an ancient civilization managed to map the world…..and that map managed to survive and be used by the mapmakers? If that is
the case….what does that imply about the ancient civilization?
Hope you enjoy!
ETA: Additional OP source.
edit on 26/3/2013 by Sauron because: internal quote tags to external quote tags
edit on 3/27/13 by Hefficide because: (no