On a chilly winter day in 1929, Halil Edhem, the Director of Turkey's National Museum, was hunched over his solitary task of classifying documents. He pulled towards him a map drawn on Roe deer skin. As Halil opened the chart to its full dimensions (two feet by three feet wide or 60 X 90 cm) he was surprised by how much of the New World was depicted on a map which dated from 1513.
The document was the legacy of a pirate turned Turkish Admiral, Piri Reis (circa 1470-1554). He was born in Gallipoli, a naval base on the Marmara Sea and was the nephew of Kemal Reis, a pirate who had reinvented himself as a Turkish Admiral adventurer who had made his name in naval warfare. At the time, the distinction between pirate and Admiral was more flexible than might be expected from looking back through a Hollywood lens.
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That's very interesting, but it's tough to believe something could have endured for so long.
ReplyDeleteSome pagans would pass things down. It's amazing how the Hindus preserved the Vedas for so long. But I fear when Christianity spread, we grew wary of the past. Also, the language changed. So, much was lost, but maybe maps endured? And I don't mean to blame only Christians. Vikings looting monasteries didn't help with preservation.
That is interesting. If you get a chance, an old Thor Heyerdahl book might entertain you. I dunno whether he's trustworthy or not. It certainly makes one dream :) "The Ra Expeditions" is a good one to seek out.
"The Ra Expeditions" is a good one to seek out.
DeleteYes, most interesting.
Is this supposed to be a news item ?
DeleteCharles Hapgood wrote a whole book on the subject 50 years ago, "Maps of the Ancient Sea Kings "
The article is current and I hadn't read of this before.
Deletehttps://archive.org/details/HapgoodCharlesHutchinsMapsOfTheAncientSeaKings
DeleteThanks.
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