http://dl.ub.uni-freiburg.de/diglit/ravenstein1908/0078
as far as Candyn are named and described by Marco Polo,
Candyn alone excepted, but the outlmes given to them,
and still less the duplicated India, cannot possibly have
been copied from a map furnished or authorised by the
Venetian traveller. Such a map, it is believed, was
prepared in the time of Duke Francesco Dandolo
(1329-39) soon after the death of Marco Polo, and it still
hangs in the Sala dello Scudo of the Ducal Palace. This
map, however, was renovated under the supervision of
Giambattista Ramusio during the reign of Duke
Francesco Donato (1545-53),1 and even in its original
state it cannot have represented the views of Marco Polo.
Cambalu (Peking), for instance, which Marco Polo
describes (Pipino's version II. 19,) as. being situated within
two days'journey of the ocean, is placed on that map more
than 1,600 geographical miles inland.
The only contemporary map upon which the delineation
of Eastern Asia including the place names is almost
identical with that given on Behaim's globe is by
Waldseemiiller, and was published in 1507 (see p. 36).2
We may conclude from this that both Behaim and
Waldseemiiller derived their information from the same
source, unless, indeed, we are to suppose that the
Lotharingian cartographer had procured a copy of the
globe which he embodied in his own design. A comparison
of the two shows, however, that such cannot have been
the case, for there are many names upon the map which
are not to be found on the globe. The source or sources
of this delineation of Eastern Asia have not yet been
discovered, but if we bear in mind that the outline of the
Portuguese chart of 1502 published by Hamy (see p. 46)
agrees with that of the globe, although its nomenclature is
very poor ; that on the Laon globe (see p. 57) the islands
extending from Madagascar to Candyn and the duplicated
India are identical with these features as shown on
Behaim's globe, and that the map of Henricus Martellus
1 Placido Zurla, ' Sulle antiche mappe idro-geografiche,' Venice, 1818.
See inset on Map 3. Cardinal Placido Zurla of the order of Camaldulense,
and an esteemed writer on the history of maps, was born at Leguaga
1759, died 18 .
(p. 67) strikingly resembles the globe in the shape given
to the duplicated India, we may fairly conclude that the
sources drawn upon by Behaim were equally available to
his predecessors not only, but also to the author of the
Portuguese chart of 1502 and to Waldseemiiller. In
short, neither Behaim nor any of his contemporaries took
the trouble to lay down Marco Polo's routes as described
by himself, which would have resulted in a map very much
like that compiled by myself, but were content to accept
or combine the erroneous designs of incompetent older
authorities.
Result with reference to the supposed extent of the
habitable world.
If the reader turns back a few pages, and reads my
notes on the reconstruction of Marco Polo's routes, he
will find that it results in a longitudinal extent of the Old
World, from Lisbon to the east coast of China, of 142
degrees. According to the Catalan map of 1375 this
extent amounts to 116 degrees, according to Fra Mauro
(1457) to 125, according to the Genoese map of the same
date to 136 degrees, the actual extent according to modern
maps being 131 degrees.
Toscanelli (1474),3 on the other hand, gives the old
world a longitudinal extension of 230 degrees, thus
narrowing the width of the Atlantic to 130 degrees. This
encouraged Columbus to sail to the west in the confident
hope of being able to reach the wealthy cities of Cipangu and
Cathai. The author of the Laon globe went even further,
for he reduced the width of the Atlantic to 110 degrees.
An intermediate position between these extremes is
occupied by Henricus Martellus, 1489, who gives the Old
World a longitudinal extent of 196 degrees.4
Toscanelli may be deserving of credit, for having been
3 H. Wagner, 'Die Rekonstruktion der Toscanelli-Karte' ('Nachr.
der K. Ges. der Wissenschaften,' Gottingen, 1894). Paolo dal Pozzo
Toscanelli, the great astronomer and physicist, was born 1397 and died in
1482 (Uzielli, ' Raccolta Colombiana,' Part "V., vol. I., Rome, 1894). See
also H. Vignaud, ' The letter and chart of Toscanelli' (London, 1902), and
his critics, H. Wagner (' Gott. gel. Anz.' 1902), L. Gallois (' An. de Geogr.,'
1902) and S. Ruge (' Zeitsch. f. Erdk.,' 1902).
3 See inset, Map 2.
4 Longitudinal Extent of the Old World. In comparing the meridional differences on non-graduated maps, the major axis of the Mediterranean has
been assumed to measure 3,000 Portolano miles, equal in lat. 36 degrees to 3,690,000 m. or 41°. But if a degree of the Equator be assumed to contain
66J Roman miles of 1,480 m., then 11 per cent, must be added to the figures given for Nos. 3-7.
1
Actual, 1907.
2
Ptolemy, 160.
3
Catalan Map,
1376.
4
Fra Mauro,
1457.
6
Genoese Map,
1457.
6
Marco Polo,
plotted in
1907.
7
Henricus
Martellus,
1489.
8
Laon Globe,
14 .
9
Behaim, 1492.
10
Waldseemiiller,
1607.
Sacrum Prom, to Strait of Gibraltar .
o
4
4
O
4
■
3
o
4
0
4
o
4
0
5
0
3
o
4
Gibraltar to Syria (Beirut) ....
41
61
41
41
41
41
41
61
60
60
90
27
20
22
24
27
32
26
25
26
Ormuz to China, E. Coast ....
60
85
51
59
67
71
119
158
146
148
Old World (about 36° N.) ....
131
| 177 j
\ or more /
116
125
136
143
196
250
234
238
East Asia to Europe.....
229
183
244
235
224
217
164
110
126
122
Old World, if 1° = 66| miles . . .
129
139
151
218
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