The Map That Led Columbus To America

[Anomalocaris]

Henricus Martellus, a German cartographer working in Florence in the late 15th century, produced a highly detailed map of the known world. According to experts, there is strong evidence that Christopher Columbus studied this map and that it influenced his thinking before his fateful voyage.

http://news.yale.edu/2015/06/11/hidden-secrets-yale-s-1491-world-map-revealed-multispectral-imaging

[qxcontinuum]

'Panotii' of Southern Asia who were said to have ears so large they could be used as sleeping bags.

????

Aliens?

[Bavarian Raven]

Or maybe it was the fact that Colon spent time in Iceland, at a time when the Greenland settlement was still alive and was still trading with Iceland. Greenlanders who would have known about the lands to the west and southwest. But minor details.

[paperdyer]

Very nice! The map looks like it has a lot of little islands near Japan. Too many unless some disappeared due to volcanic activity.

[godnodog]

And blah blah blah, Colombus had access to some of the portuguese maps, wich by the way were amogst the most advanced in Europe, probably the best, but noooooo, the portuguese hypothesys is never taken into consideration, cause we all know advances have to come from central or nortic europe, for fucs sake

[Nnicolette]

Panotii? After reading about the mythical panotii tribe real quick i am left wondering how they got on the map only 500 years ago and where they went.

[Likely Guy]

And blah blah blah, Colombus had access to some of the portuguese maps, wich by the way were amogst the most advanced in Europe, probably the best, but noooooo, the portuguese hypothesys is never taken into consideration, cause we all know advances have to come from central or nortic europe, for fucs sake

The 'Portuguese hypothesis', I'm curious as to what that is. I'm also over 50 and I was always taught that they were master mariners and map makers. Where your (well, for lack of better words) 'conspiracy theory' comes from, I don't know.

Edited June 16, 2015 by Likely Guy

[Calibeliever]

And blah blah blah, Colombus had access to some of the portuguese maps, wich by the way were amogst the most advanced in Europe, probably the best, but noooooo, the portuguese hypothesys is never taken into consideration, cause we all know advances have to come from central or nortic europe, for fucs sake

How does his national origin relate to this map? From my understanding the Portuguese hypothesis is among the weakest. The Spanish-Jewish has gained some ground in recent years. *shrug*

I think it's becoming common wisdom anymore among mainstream academics that the lands to the west were known about long before Columbus. They were probably visited many times in the previous centuries but they likely hadn't been mapped very well. Thus they weren't part of the "known" world.

Remember also that it was important for early America to maintain a discovery story that fit the national narrative. Many nations were laying claim to the Americas in the 17th and 18th centuries and our 19th century manifest destiny relied on a rightful claim. The Columbus story was always as much about politics as it was about history.

[godnodog]

How does his national origin relate to this map? From my understanding the Portuguese hypothesis is among the weakest. The Spanish-Jewish has gained some ground in recent years. *shrug*

I think it's becoming common wisdom anymore among mainstream academics that the lands to the west were known about long before Columbus. They were probably visited many times in the previous centuries but they likely hadn't been mapped very well. Thus they weren't part of the "known" world.

Remember also that it was important for early America to maintain a discovery story that fit the national narrative. Many nations were laying claim to the Americas in the 17th and 18th centuries and our 19th century manifest destiny relied on a rightful claim. The Columbus story was always as much about politics as it was about history.

You helped made my point, as the portuguses had the more advanced maps in Europe, wich included information from ancient sources, plus navigation routes that included sea currents, a lot of information was given by the Knights Templars to the portuguese crown for helping escape the church persecution, in return for the gift the Knights Templars were allowed to exist in Portugal till this day, YES THEY STILL EXIST HERE AND THEY ARE NOT A SECRET.

Returning to the map thing, there are clues thst show Brasil was already known at the time but information of its discovery was kept secret, I dont know the reasons, also there is a hypothesis, although I am sceptical about this, that Colombus was a sort of secret agent sent to the Castille Crown (you people know them as Spain) in order to divert them to get them to the Indias, this theory is helped by several details, one is not disputed is the fact that upon returning from the first trip from the recent discovery of the New World, Colombus made a stop in Lisbon to speak to the portuguese king (I doubt it would be to mock the king), the man was the widow of a portuguese noble woman, therefor he had access to portuguese maps, if he was a foreigner it is strongly unlikely he would have access to the maps, thinkmof it this way would the americans allow a soviet national access to their secrets, of course not so why should the portuguese, Colombus aka Salvador Fernandes Zarco was born in 1448 in Cuba, YES CUBA, because the original Cuba is Portugal (so is California but thats another story).

The following is a wikipedia photo os Colombus statue in Cuba village, Portugal.

Edited June 16, 2015 by godnodog

[Calibeliever]

You helped made my point, as the portuguses had the more advanced maps in Europe, wich included information from ancient sources, plus navigation routes that included sea currents, a lot of information was given by the Knights Templars to the portuguese crown for helping escape the church persecution, in return for the gift the Knights Templars were allowed to exist in Portugal till this day, YES THEY STILL EXIST HERE AND THEY ARE NOT A SECRET.

Returning to the map thing, there are clues thst show Brasil was already known at the time but information of its discovery was kept secret, I dont know the reasons, also there is a hypothesis, although I am sceptical about this, that Colombus was a sort of secret agent sent to the Castille Crown (you people know them as Spain) in order to divert them to get them to the Indias, this theory is helped by several details, one is not disputed is the fact that upon returning from the first trip from the recent discovery of the New World, Colombus made a stop in Lisbon to speak to the portuguese king (I doubt it would be to mock the king), the man was the widow of a portuguese noble woman, therefor he had access to portuguese maps, if he was a foreigner it is strongly unlikely he would have access to the maps, thinkmof it this way would the americans allow a soviet national access to their secrets, of course not so why should the portuguese, Colombus aka Salvador Fernandes Zarco was born in 1448 in Cuba, YES CUBA, because the original Cuba is Portugal (so is California but thats another story).

The following is a wikipedia photo os Colombus statue in Cuba village, Portugal.

It's a valid hypotheses (along with the half dozen other ones). Unfortunately, a lot of it is speculation ... maybe someday we'll know the truth.