This 14th century chart was just rediscovered...it changes map making history

[@GeographyGeek]

If you'd like to read more about the Rex Thomoleus map you can here - www.raremaps.com/gallery/detail/91710/the-rex-tholomeus-portolan-chart-anonymous

[@JamieW-o7b]

This is staggering if true. You don't just sit down and draw a map, you build on previous knowledge. I often wondered about Roman maps and how they perceived the shape of a country on foot or horseback. I thought triangulation was a fairly modern method!

[@abcde_fz]

I learned to create maps when I was in the Cub Scouts, using nothing but a pencil, a sighting compass, and a piece of paper. I needed no previous knowledge of the geography or topology of the areas I mapped. I used nothing but my eyes and hands and the tools just mentioned. No prior knowledge of the area required. A minor point? Perhaps, but a true one nonetheless.

[@goofballbiscuits3647]

Pythagoras figured out triangulation ~400 years before Cleopatra was born.

[@marinoceccotti9155]

Each time a discovery of this significance is made, I'll always wonder what is still to be rediscovered in forgotten/forbidden libraries. Books, music sheets, plays, etchings, maps, manuscripts, etc.

[@garyoakham9723]

Nothing. Remember it was the dark ages. Nobody knew how to write or even talk for that matter

[@ironcladranchandforge7292]

​@@garyoakham9723-- What are you talking about? That's the most ridiculous comment I've ever read in my life!!

[@lc285]

Do you really believe that statement of yours?

[@lc285]

Do you really believe that statement of yours?

[@lc285]

Do you really believe that statement of yours?

[@ZaKRo-bx7lp]

What's striking is the accuracy in he Mediterranean

[@LuisAldamiz]

I wouldn't expect less, especially not from Venetians.

[@charlesb5333]

The Mediterranean Sea was well transversed for thousands of years.

[@markwilliams5654]

They use ballons to make maps that's why

[@SofaKingShit]

​@@markwilliams5654They use paper to make maps, however they probably use balloons to make globes.

[@whyis45stillalive]

​@@SofaKingShit The map is made of vellum, or animal hide. I get the joke though. 😂

[@SEKreiver]

I find the depictions of Hy-Brasil on portolans to be fascinating, because of the consistency in size, shape and location. Examine a map of the seafloor s-w of Ireland. Right where portolans place Hy-Brasil are the Porcupine Banks. The similarities are close. The Porcupines were well above sea-level at the end of the last Ice Age, but not since...as far as we know.

[@johnhandshake4460]

similarly mind blowing: ancient maps showing the island of 'Friesland'... compare that to the area of the Faroe Islands....

[@stunspot]

Yeah, Hy-Brazil is an island and its hardly mythical, it just has a lot od.myths about it. It's just been underwater for 11,000 years. But it's there, and the right size and shape.

[@pahko_]

Oh hey I've seen this in person! There's an Antiquarian Book Fair in NYC every spring (that has lots of maps and other old stuff too, of course). I went this year and this map was at one of the setups. It was super cool to see.

[@GeographyGeek]

Nice! That's pretty cool

[@tuvoca825]

See if he will let a photo of it be printed on a blanket... that would be amazing! Imagine being able to see this on... your bed!

[@GeographyGeek]

@@tuvoca825 you can purchase the image for $30 on their website.

[@sharonjuniorchess]

I frequently saw the oldest map in the world; the Mappa Mundi when I was 10. As I was sent there as a punishment to wait for the choir master to finish playing his organ recital. To be honest listening to his playing and being engrossed in studying the map was hardly what I considered as punishment and time waiting for him to tell me off used to fly by. Oh happy days! Lol

[@davepowell7168]

​@@sharonjuniorchesscorporal punishment would have been kinder...

[@LuisAldamiz]

It could be a product from the sack of Constantinople in the 4th Crusade, which had much stuff from the Byzantine capital moved to Venice. Some of those people would speak Greek, so translating would be no big deal.

[@rokoskamp7371]

Amazing video,it led me to explore whole Croatian coast on the map, and trying to understand medieval italian names to our cities and islands

[@martyheresniak5203]

Not a map guy, but the one thing that pops out at me is not mentioned. What are all the sunbursts of lines that seem to center on nothing of significance? Most of the points are in water, but one is centered on Calabria, the toe of the Italian boot. They almost look like (pardon me for using the term) ley lines. There is almost a grid of the points, like a latitude and longitude grid, but definitely not aligned with N-S or E-W. Any map folk know what they might represent?

[@maxfan1591]

If I have it right, the lines represent the 16 compass points (N, NNE, NE, ENE, E, and so on) as aligned with magnetic north for various points in the sea. Therefore, if you're near one of those points, and you want to sail to a particular port, you look at the line heading from that point which passes nearest that port, and that gives you the heading to use. On those charts it isn't practical to put a compass rose like that against every port, so they place a few across the map at places near a bunch of ports, so you can easily head to that location on the map and then choose your desired course. At least, I think that's how it works. Someone with more expertise is welcome to correct me.

[@martyheresniak5203]

@@maxfan1591 Thanks, that makes sense. Magnetic north back then was rather far south in western Canada. The recent rapid increase in movement north and now into the eastern hemisphere is a whole nuther matter.

[@kviskva]

@@maxfan1591 Professional cartographer here, and yes, prior to the invention and widespread adoption of latitude and longitude, that’s exactly how it worked. 👏👏👏

[@maxfan1591]

@@kviskva Cool, thank you for the confirmation.

[@Emperordgualica]

Looking in the area of Iceland, it seems like Southern Greenland and another island (which looks kinda similar to Jan Mayan) are also shown.

[@captainsensiblejr.]

Yep, portolan maps ... been around since the 1100s. Portolans used specific sightline locations being visible from those locations. They could be very accurate.

[@mencken8]

This is not only a detective story, but an excellent example of how history undergoes valid change. What was understood about the history of maps and mapmaking was changed by the research of the current owners of the chart in question. Facts hitherto undiscovered about the chart changed what had been done, and when. This is instructive when we live in an age when the reinterpretation of history is being increasingly driven by ideology. Congratulations on an excellent video. “Because that’s history- not what happened, but what people make themselves believe must have happened.” - Alistair Cooke

[@philroberts7238]

The statement by Alistair Cooke is very apt. The current reinterpretation of history (which is, or should be, a continuing process at all times and in all places) is attempting to come to terms with the ideologies of the past, because the history we are taught in school in Century A in Country X will no doubt be very different from what will be taught in Century B in Country Y. One very simple example: I was taught to revere Sir Francis Drake as a true English hero - he defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588, for example. But the Museum of Valparaiso in Chile describes him as the English pirate who sacked their city an two occasions, attempting to burn it to the ground. To the English, he was (and is) a hero. To the Spanish of the time, he was a bloodthirsty savage. Both views are correct in their own terms. Which means that they are both incorrect as well.

[@at_3831]

I’m happy y’all called this a chart. Most call them maps it’s a maritime navigation tool not a road guide….

[@landrecce]

This is really exciting! Great channel! Subscribed!

[@malcolmjcullen]

Ironic that the map describes the Norwegians as being unable to sail, when contemporaneously to this being painted they were already sailing the coast of North America.

[@ericwilliams1659]

Maybe they thought it stayed frozen year around. So more of a can't because of winter.

[@mrnobody3161]

......and sailing a lot earlier than what has been consensus for decades.

[@artificercreator]

Say, is the drawing style and the color selection very similar to the Voinich Manuscript?

[@rabaohong9492]

I collect atlases and maps going back into the 1800s. Thank you for this excellent and informative video.

[@stevebessant8102]

The accuracy of the islands and reefs off the south west of the UK is impressive. Seem to be two Lundys, mind.😊

[@TheAurelianProject]

Does it mean anything if an inland area has a “generic” red or blue flag? Because it looks like those flags might not necessarily be representing the actual coat of arms of the monarch of that state.

[@dahomersirson]

4:30 What are those caterpillar-looking things supposed to represent?

[@LuisAldamiz]

Mountains (maybe dunes?) The map is not "north up" but rather depends on area which side is to be set "up" and thus they're like "upside down" because the video keeps the modern "north up" convention, which doesn't really apply.

[@chronus47]

I would definitely watch a long break down of the map.

[@DH-ej5gg]

YESSSS

[@erniegutierrez2288]

There is a similar map called the Catalan Atlas made in 1375 which is also very interesting, except its of the world as they saw it back then. "Like"

[@FalconFire4488]

This seems like a good side piece of info, especially since im in AP Human Geography rn.

[@EMCF_]

Nobody cares if you're in AP geography. But yes, this map is, as you put it, "good".

[@mikepalmer1971]

Human geography? Not just geography?

[@FalconFire4488]

​@@EMCF_ You dont have to be so rude. And good can mean many different things just because I dont say something is amazing, doesnt mean it isnt.

[@FalconFire4488]

​@@mikepalmer1971I think its the study of humans and why/where/what they do

[@GeographyGeek]

@@FalconFire4488 ignore the troll. I appreciate your view and comment. Good luck with your class!

[@noeldoyle4501]

Thanks for your great video.

[@itint]

I am surprised the biggest flag in the map is not mentioned -Could it be another "Catalan atlas"? One of the most striking visual elements on this map is the giant "senyera," the emblematic Catalan flag, characterized by its three or four red stripes against a golden backdrop. This flag is prominently displayed over the islands of Corsica and Sardinia, reflecting the historical influence of Catalan seafarers in the Mediterranean. During this period, these islands were pivotal to the expansive maritime trade networks established by Catalonia, marking them as significant areas of Catalan commercial activity and presence.

[@thealexprime]

From what I saw on this map, in 1360 the Genoese already knew about the existence of the Madeira and Azores archipelagos.

[@kevinoboyle8939]

It would have been nice include, or reference, a brief explanation of portolan maps.

[@chriselliott4621]

Who knows know how much has been destroyed or hidden away that would change so much of our understanding...

[@lc285]

History should be updated as new finds are uncovered, discovered. We should expect as much.

[@nomindseye]

Sorry, this is very interesting, but am I seeing things? Is that Frank Herbert of Dune fame in the auction photo, at the timestamp of 1:51?

[@GeographyGeek]

Looks like it lol

[@jimjimsauce]

i’d love to study it if i knew how to read the language! any translating software out there that could help me out?

[@Eza_yuta]

I always love maps that contain Isle de Brasil. My favorite island.

[@fional600]

What a breathtaking chart. Great that its significance has been unearthed again. It looks awfully similar to the 1325 Dalorto chart held in Florence in the Corsini collection where this one came from. It grabbed my attention since my family have a n old facsimile of the 1325 chart which has always fascinated me. Makes me wonder if it was by the same mapmaker.

[@kensilverstone1656]

A fantastic map to say the least.

[@johnorchard4]

How do you rate the Gough Map held at the Bodliean Library, University of Oxford. It is a most extradorinary rendition of the island of Great Britain. more importantly, it shows highways and towns, even in the inland areas. The reputed date is 1360, and was likely based on an even earlier map. In qualitative measures, I would rank it at least as important as the featured map in your video - which was fascianting, by the way!

[@Bluefairie]

I have just moved to the mountains of Nova Scotia canada 🇨🇦 I would love to learn something on the geography here

[@highbrass7563]

Brilliant content

[@GeographyGeek]

I appreciate it!

[@sharonjuniorchess]

This is how sailors navigated in foreign places where they had no charts. By taking a series of bearings from their boat to various points on the land. As they continued they took revised bearings of old and new points and plotted both the coastal outline and their progress.

[@Tiki_Media]

Pardon my ignorance, but can anyone tell me what those points are on the map with the numerous lines radiating from their center? They seem like arbitrary points on the sea and land. What were they used for?

[@Inertia888]

those are the measurements made, and recorded, by the mapmakers. when you look at your compass, or whatever instrument that would be used, you locate landmarks. you then, measure the distance between landmarks, and mark it in degrees, with your protractor (or whatever would be used) on the sheet. keep building, and checking to make sure that all of those intersecting lines are accurate, from various points, as you travel, and you can be sure that your map will keep you from getting lost. why they are red and green, I have no idea. A studied cartographer would have a more concise, and probably simpler way of explaining it to you, but that is the basic idea.

[@JohnnyButtons]

Amazing!

[@MountainRaven1960]

What is the use of all those intersecting red and green lines? What is the importance of the points of their intersections?

[@geogeo1261]

If the painter of this map had a good knowledge of Ptolemy's work, than he could draw a map as Mercator did, who copied the Ptolemaic cartography. And of course Ptolemy was not the first inventor of his maps. As a Greek from Macedonia, found the most of information in the Alexandrian Library and from the remaining Greek Philosophers living in Egypt. Centuries before him, there was another kind of maps, based on triangles, by the Greeks.

[@georgianakopoulou6339]

Many ancient Greek maps long before the Greek Ptolemy's reign surely exist in some hidden libraries,not just the Vatican or various Italian cities like Venice.Please let the world know and publish them,the time is ripe.The Chinese should speak up,they know.

[@geogeo1261]

@@georgianakopoulou6339 As far as we know, there is not a single map from the ancient Greek times due to some serious reasons, except of course if there is any hidden/uknown in Vatican or else. Hopefully we have the accurate descriptions from the texts of their creators or the references of others about their work.

[@stevenpatzner6962]

I'd bet my last buck, High Brazil Isn't a Myth! Great Podcast 👍

[@jimmywayne623]

What were the inks made from?

[@jonswanson7766]

Thank you for this very interesting video.

[@jrt818]

If i use your code can I get a 10% discount on the map?

[@kaptkrunchfpv]

Its beautiful!

[@washingtonroad6738]

Thank you for this.

[@sheilacape4794]

You must keep in mind that there were giants in that time. There's three ice walls and we've never traveled outside the one; I believe the Earth is at least 80% bigger than we know!

[@santoshr2984]

Wow .. thats amazing.

[@spacey118]

Why would they “mistakenly” confuse something on the oldest map??? I think just like the title says… is changes history… but it’s not a mistake

[@tarikdrummond4577]

The Nile does have two sources , the blue and white Nile .

[@PRH123]

My forgery spider sense is tingling... Just too perfect a story... Like people still finding old cars and motorcycles in barns....

[@deleted-something]

wow!

[@gerbre1]

The Saint Marcellus's flood happened on January 16 1362 which destroys many coastlines of Germany and other countries in the north. Rungholt which was one of the biggest trading towns in Northern Germany was lost. Maybe this flood is a good indicator for the age of the map.

[@YATESA8]

5:52 holanda!

[@jakegarvin7634]

7:57 Oh, look! That's rich new yorker for "Yeah, we kinda fucked up there..."

[@Calc_Ulator]

Your comment makes no sense in context of the timestamp. The 3rd world gaining smartphone access has destroyed the internet...

[@castanheira99]

And about UK and sorroudings a bit of culture, would be great to know a bit more about.

[@paulpierron1815]

thanks !

[@adriangeorgedumitru4696]

IF it is genuine, it points, obviously, to an world older than ~1360 by at least a decade or two. I would say, for a first "guess", at a first glance at the map, that it hints at cca 1320-1330. there are clues, a lot of them, for someone who is familiar with Easter European medieval history that point towards this date. Not to mention the rivalries the portolan alludes to. However, the ottoman progress in Europe, pour les connoisseurs, points clearly to a date after 1360. Conclusion: although drawn after the fall of Gallipoli and Adrianople, it describes a Mediterranean world with new and old data, mixing info from 1320 with that of 1360-1390.

[@VoraciousPhantasma]

0:52 that’s Jeff Bezos and you can’t tell me otherwise

[@Lamara5292]

Wow, we really know nothing of ancient times, like we think we know. So cool!

[@Bay0Wulf]

This map is interesting. Obviously drawn off other maps in existence of much older heritage. This presentation is unfortunately lacking in many aspects but I attribute that to its brevity. If you look about there is much more information available on older maps in greater depth.

[@humbledone6382]

Depicted as a king, also signifying mastery of his subject. No person educated and skilled in map making, would confuse the Roman and the Ptolemaic dynasty. This is the Mediterranean. Greek and Roman history is known and literally is part of their DNA.

[@sheilacape4794]

We're finding out now that all myths came from truth! I can't believe we've come this far to find out how well over the years each story is oppiniated differently and they call it progress!

[@castanheira99]

About iceland even me allready saw the name as lands of Corte Real

[@h2energynow]

Interesting, It seems as if key cities were marked at the center, from it lines were drawn link from Jerusalem.

[@mrnobody3161]

Christies losing their research and verification cred? My, my, my.

[@doc2help]

Clearly this level of mapmaking indicates that worldwide seafaring is not an impossibility and should open new doors for research into even more ancient maps.Thank you.

[@maxfan1591]

With respect, not necessarily. There's a big difference between sailing in the Mediterranean Sea and sailing in the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans. Having said that, I certainly have no problem with the idea that West European fishermen may have sighted North America by accident in the decades prior to Columbus sailing to America. Hearing sailors' tales about land across the Atlantic would explain why Columbus was so convinced he could reach Asia by sailing west, even though cartographers at the time had a very good handle on both the size of the Earth and the size of Eurasia.

[@laserflexr6321]

@@maxfan1591 Let me ask you this one. Let's say you were a sailor/merchant/explorer/ intel agent/// who travelled the seas with a few trusted, adventurous friends buying a shipload of something that is cheap and plentiful in one place, rare and exotic somewhere else, shipping it to the place it is much more valuable, be received as a hero for bringing all that fantastic stuff, traded for every luxury they had, including companionship until you had depleted the vast wealth you quickly accumulated when you landed, having only enough to restock your vessel with what is cheap and abundant there, and having worn out your welcome and lusting for novel conquest, you weigh anchor again. Would you tell everybody else everything you knew or would you only divulge bits and peices when the price was right? Think of what kind of competitive advantage such a chart would have been at the moment the final edit was added to the document. Posessing that chart, at that time could be likened to having the entire archive of GE, Sony or Google today. I have no doubt whatsoever that there were a few people who had seen every inch of shoreline in the new world thousands of years earlier than most people now believe, but they kept their mouths shut, it was a trade secret. There were plenty who clearly understood the world was a sphere and most of them would happily perpetuate the stories of sea monsters and falling of the edge if they thought it might dissuade competition. Olmec Statues and Nasca lines are interesting to think about. Chahokia, El Dorado, Cibola?

[@Red-Feather]

Someone as bright as this cartographer doesn’t ‘confuse’ people. He more likely made a statement.

[@MemphiStig]

I'm always amused by how people ignore all the obvious evidence in favor of their own biased conclusions. And sometimes it worries me for the future of humanity. But mostly it's just smh.

[@nikosatsaves3141]

The geographer was ethnic greek too, not roman.

[@MARK-gp9hb]

Maybe Venice was drawn so large because Venice was the largest city at the time?

[@Draconisrex1]

Probably not. It may add something to our understanding, but it's not going to be some massive change.

[@theobolt250]

My new favorite asmr channel. 😴😴😴😴😴😴

[@GeographyGeek]

I’m not sure if I should be offended or honored lol

[@drewdebenham4728]

Have any other U.S. dwellers noticed the narrators THIIIICK mid-Atlantic accent? Idc that much but it lowkey drives me crazy 😭

[@NullStaticVoid]

you really dont have to jack your volume up so high

[@castanheira99]

Italians did millions of maps but the fact is that they did not made part of those discoveries. They financed them time to time specially Veneze or Genova

[@davidtydeman1434]

Let’s remember that at the time of the map there was no “Italy” rather there were a number of city states

[@castanheira99]

@@davidtydeman1434 That is very true, in fact the Italy of today is a much later construction.

[@marcobelli6856]

@@davidtydeman1434there was no Italy but there were italians. Matter of fact there was Italia the peninsula since forever just Not as a Unified Country. Like Imagine 50 years from now Eu become a Single Country Like USA doesn’t mean that just because it wasn’t united it didn’t exist before

[@marcobelli6856]

And the famous Poet Dante talk about “Italia” in the 1200s the Concept is much older

[@TheCJHutchison]

Looks Catalan school?

[@ChrisSham]

Research that can only be done by whoever's got the biggest pile of cash seems like a bad idea. And I don't mean covering expenses, just being allowed access to material we already have.

[@odinallfarther6038]

Me thinks you present the map upside down 🤔

[@Hypernefelos]

There's a Genoese flag at Constantinople and they still thought it was from around 1500? The Genoese quarter there, along with the rest of the city, were conquered by the Ottomans in 1453!

[@Hypernefelos]

Lesbos is also coloured Genoese-green. It was a Genoese possession from 1354 to 1462.

[@adamastzimens2395]

White bears, N American continent? Unless there white bears in Europe or Asia?

[@markglessner2886]

Did you say High Brazil was east of Ireland?

[@GeographyGeek]

Well crap

[@martyheresniak5203]

I noticed that, too.

[@galweg8475]

@@GeographyGeek A few years ago, I used google earth to find Hy Brasil. It's underwater now, but it fits the descriptions and rough location. An island cut in half by a river with a pool/lake in the middle. Was clearly visible, matching the outline on some of the older maps. The seven year thing is clearly fantasy, but it was there.

[@Teverell]

@@GeographyGeek You were obviously looking at the map upside down, it's fine. :D

[@cairnex4473]

Stylistically it reminds me a LOT of the Voynich Manuscript.

[@jweezy8645]

You know inflation is out of hand when KZbin charges you 2 ads instead of the usual 1 😂

[@theredgoblin562]

Its crazy how much archeologists just assume map makers were dumb or making things up for the sake of convenience

[@pjd1634]

Where is the kingdom of oz?

[@andromeda60]

It is surprises me that people insist in classing Ireland as the British Isles, we are not British and it is a affront given our history to refer to us this way. Otherwise the video is very interesting.

[@EduardQualls]

@5:42 Christophoro Colón was born in Barcelona, not Genoa. (There is no evidence that he ever spoke Italian, and he never wrote either to his brothers or to his Genoese bankers in Italian-not something a native-Italian speaker would ever do, as anyone who knows an Italian will testify to! [And his Spanish contains mistakes tying him to being a native Catalan speaker, not an Italian speaker, mistakes which would be expected of someone who supposedly left Genoa in his twenties.])

[@pavelavietor1]

probably Americus Vespucci did it ❤

[@thomasdecharentenay2474]

Clearly Mercator projection raises a big question on how this map is exactly fitting our own way of looking at the world. And completeness as well supposes all parts have been collected using same exact projection. Good job by the Greeks. Copied then from Much older sources.

[@mjeffn2]

What the hell? It looks like Iowa. 😂😂😂

[@roganmuldoon3357]

Yeah.... ancient maps are well known for their accuracy....not!

[@jamesmungall6669]

I think Brazil is west, not east, of Europe. Slip of the tongue I guess 😮

[@timfriday9106]

anyone show this to Johnny harris? =P

[@michaelwhittierpearson]

King Ptolemy -- can't a mapmaker make a little joke?

[@jimmcfarland3446]

Library???

[@patriciajrs46]

Why, when people seek to explain some document from antiquity, they seem to immediately find fault in some aspect. They do a 'oh I'm sure that's not what they meant', and grant some modern day explaination and rationale for what is depicted? Dang.

[@SumNumber]

So..what is it worth now? May 1,000,000,000,000,000 bucks . There will be someone , ignorant , who would shell out the bucks. Disgusting but appreciate your coverage. :O)

[@GeographyGeek]

7.5 million. More than likely it will be a museum or college that buys it.