How Antarctica appeared on the map almost 300 years before it was discovered

Turkish admiral and amateur cartographer Muhyiddin Piribey (known as Piri Reis) drew a nautical chart of Antarctica almost 300 years before the discovery of this continent.

Such Renaissance nautical charts from the end of the 13th to the 16th century are called portolans. On the portolan with Antarctica, the Turkish admiral even had Antarctic ice. But how is this possible? Senior Researcher, Curator of the Cartography Fund of the State Historical Museum Vladimir Bulatov in a commentary REN TV gave an explanation of science.

“We are used to the fact that if a person who makes a map does not know something about some territory, he does not write anything there, and leaves a blank spot. But this was not done in the 16th-17th centuries. Here is this method Mapping with white spots was discovered quite late – at the end of the 18th century in France. And in the time of Piri Reis, even if a person did not know anything about a certain territory, everyone drew something there. Well, if so, all people will be something sometimes draw somewhere, then sometime it will coincide with reality, “- shared an expert.

How did portolans help sailors and why were they very valuable? What were they made from? Why was it not worth mentioning their names in Spain and Portugal at all? What ancient examples have been preserved? Details about purslane and much more – in the program “Unknown History” with Boris Ryzhov. Watch it on Sunday, January 22, at 11:30 am on REN TV.