Terrestrial and Celestial Globes Volume 1: Their History and Construction Including a Consideration of their Value as Aids in the Study of Geography and AstronomyStevenson, Edward Luther
History
Terrestrial and Celestial Globes Volume 1: Their History and Construction Including a Consideration of their Value as Aids in the Study of Geography and Astronomy
Stevenson, Edward Luther
Geography -- History; Globes
A globe but little known, but resembling in a striking manner the Lenox,
is that belonging to the Jagellonicus University Library of Cracow,
Poland.[164] It is a gilded copper ball, 7.3 cm. in diameter (Figs. 36,
37), and constitutes a part of a fine old clock of the sixteenth
century. Meridians and parallels are engraved and numbered on its
surface at intervals of ten degrees, the prime meridian passing through
the island Ferro. While it is neither signed nor dated, there is
scarcely a doubt that it is as old as the Lenox globe; indeed, the
geographical features of the two globes are so similar that they appear
to be the work of the same globe maker, or copies of a common original,
yet it is noteworthy that the nomenclature of the Jagellonicus globe is
somewhat richer. The large island which lies southeast of Madagascar and
is nameless on the Lenox appears on the Jagellonicus with a very
interesting inscription, reading “America noviter reperta.” Comparing
the coast of “Mundus Novus” with the coast of this “America noviter
reperta,” Tadeus Estreicher finds support for the belief that the globe
was constructed soon after the year 1507, in which year Waldseemüller
suggested the name America for the region discovered by Amerigo
Vespucci. He, however, seems not to have noticed the possibility that
the inscription appearing on this large island indicated not only an
acquaintance, on the part of the Jagellonicus cartographer, with
Waldseemüller’s suggestion as to the name America, but a belief that
America was actually located in this particular region. In his chapter
on climates Waldseemüller says, “Atqȝ in sexto climate Antarcticù
versus & pars extrema Africae nuper reperta & Zamzibar Iauva minor &
Seula insule & quarta orbis pars (quam quia Americus inveuit Amerigen
quasi Americi terrā siue Americā nuncupare licet) sitae sunt.” “In
the sixth climate toward the Antarctic there are situated the farthest
part of Africa, recently discovered, the islands Zanzibar, the lesser
Java, and Seula, and the fourth part of the earth, which, because
Amerigo discovered it, we may call Amerige, the land of Amerigo, so to
speak, or America.”[165] Following the above, Waldseemüller notes what
Pomponius Mela has to say concerning “these southern climates,” that is,
concerning this antipodal region.
[Illustration: Fig. 36. Jagellonicus Globe, 1510.]
[Illustration: Fig. 37. Jagellonicus Globe in Hemispheres.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account