Renaissance Mapping of "Ice-Free Antartica" Fantasies

 

Dan Richards The DeDunker @DeDunkingPast Jul 15  "So if you shrink it, distort it to fit a modern map projection, turn it upside down... this map shows Antartica without the ice !!!" This is a really dubious claim. The map Noua, et integra vniuersi orbis descriptio (1532) by Oronce Fine [1494-1555] was originally published in the volume by Johann Huttich and Simon Grynaeus Novus orbis regionum (Paris. 1532). Here's a description from the website of the Norman B. Leventhal Map and Education Center Collection Boston Public Libraries:

Fine, an eminent French cartographer, created this unique double cordiform or heart-shaped projection, emphasizing the northern and southern hemispheres. The European, Asian and African continents were prominently placed in the center of the left (northern) cordum. However, his treatment of the Americas was somewhat more tentative. By splitting the new World discoveries along the left edge of the northern cordum, it was not obvious that he had depicted these lands as a large peninsula attached to the Asian mainland. While this depiction contradicted Waldseemüller's model, Fine did retain the name America, which appears in the southern part of South America, in the right (southern) cordum. This portion of the map is dominated by a continent that was still speculative. Fine labeled it, "Terra Australis," based on Magellan's relatively recent passage through the strait at the southern tip of South America. A modern redrawing on an oval projection (see below) by Robert W. Karrow helps to clarify the geographic images portrayed on Fine's map. Fine's use of a single cordiform projection in 1519, as well as this use of the double cordiform projection, introduced a tradition of similar world maps throughout the 16th century. While the projection has a mathematical basis, it presents a visually pleasing map. It is also conceivable, since the heart was a widespread Christian symbol, that the use of the heart-shaped projection added religious meaning to the contents of the map.

[here's a zoomable colour version in the Library of Congress].

Mr Richards ignores all the information published on the content of the map in the cartographical literature. He thinks that if you manipulate the image of the continent shown on the right, it shows Antarcica "before the ice sheet developed" (and old idea of Professor Charles  Hapgood). His followers are ecstatic.

But even after playing with the projection, it also shows Poland, Ukraine, Scandinavia and Russia the wrong shapes and in relation to each other and NE Canada (Newfoundland, Labrador, Quebec) attached to Asia - just above China.

So its like the Parson's Egg, "quite OK in parts", eh? Is it, though, testable "evidence" of Lost Knowledge or is this click-farming?

And it is here that if we do some searching, we find the methods applied by Richards to the map are not his (and "Doug's) original research - see for example the presentation by retired RCAF Navigator Stephen Doyle to the Canadian Rising Tide Foundation a few years back. But he does not acknowledge where the techniques for resolution of the problem (of "proving this is Antarctica") came from.

We (he) could start by looking at how the terrain he's discussing is actually labelled (though in Latin) "Terra Australis recenter inuener sed nonduplene cognita" ... uhhhh, it is "not known", but the claim is made by Mr Richards that the Renaissance author of this map had a perfect map of the area from a "Lost Civilization" - so what, "not known", but known?

So is this an echo of ancient lore about Antarctica ... or is it in fact an echo of the idea that to the south of SE Asia (and its more recent seafarers) there is this big place that we today call "Australia"?

In fact, this Terra Australis comes from a mistake in accounts of Marco Polo's journey and the so-called "Great Java", note inclusion of "Regio Brasielie" and "Regio Patalis" suggesting Fine's map is a real 16th cent ballsup, not evidence.

And before some YouTuber suggests it, Great Java's not "Ancient Sundaland" /Mu- Lemuria or whatever, but another antiquarian mixup that can be unpicked by people using books and intellects rather than You Tube videos.