Ptolemy
Many of us have learned that Europeans thought the world was flat until Columbus proved them wrong by sailing west in search of a route to Asia. Yet, the map below, produced in 1482, actually depicts the world according to Ptolemy in the 2nd century—over 1,000 years earlier than Columbus' voyage.
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Source: Ptolemy, 2nd cent. ''Map of the World.'' 1482. John Carter Brown Library, Brown University. |
Questions:
1. How can you tell from the map that Ptolemy thought the earth was round?
2. What lands lie in the West, according to Ptolemy?
3. How might this map have influenced 15th century European explorers?
