Mappae Mundi On Monday

This week's historical globe map is Oronce Fine's 'Modern together with Complete Map of the Entire World'. published inwards 1531. It is the earliest known map on which the lift 'Terra australis' appears. You tin sentiment the map inwards item on Mappae Mundi, my collection of vintage globe maps (to sentiment Fine's map merely click on the 1531 button).

Terra Australis (Latin for South Land) was a hypothetical southern continent which had been believed to be past times unopen to from at to the lowest degree the fifth century onward. The being of Terra Australis was supposed on the thought that all the province inwards the Northern Hemisphere should locomote balanced past times province inwards the south. It is believed that Oronce Fine based his map of Terra australis on a 1523 globe past times Johannes Schöner (now lost). The cast together with outline of Terra australis on Fine's map is presumably completely imaginary.

Under the map label 'Terra australis' are the Latin words 'center inventa sed nondum plene cognita' (recently discovered but non yet fully known). Antarctica is nonetheless labelled 'Terra Australis Incognita' (Southern Land Unknown) on the globe maps of Gerardus Mercator (1606), Pierre Mariette (1642) together with Joan Blaeu (1664) - all of which tin too locomote viewed on Mappae Mundi.

The interactive version of Oronce Fine's 'Modern together with Complete Map of the Entire World' used inwards Mappae Mundi has been retrieved from the Library of Congress.