FIFTEENTH CENTURY MAPS 



land, which is probably due to a misunderstanding, since, 

 as pointed out by Bjornbo [1910, p. 80], the name cannot 

 be seen on the much-damaged original, or on Ongania's 

 photographic reproduction [Fischer-Ongania, pi. x]. Many 

 imaginary islands are scattered about in the sea round these 

 peninsulas. 



Towards the close of the fifteenth century the discovery 

 was made of representing the surface of the earth, with land 



Northern Europe on the Genoese mappamundi of 1447 or 1457 



and sea, on globes. It was evidently the efforts of Toscanelli 

 that led to the general adoption of this mode of representation, 

 which had been used by the Greeks at an early time (cf. Vol. I, p. 

 78) ; in 1474 he announced that his idea of the western route to 

 India could best be shown on a sphere. Columbus seems to 

 have taken a globe with him on his voyage of 1492, according 

 to his own words in the ship's log. The oldest known terres- 

 trial globe that is preserved was made in 1492 by the German 

 Martin Behaim (born at Nuremberg in 1459).^ He spent much 

 time in Portugal and also in the Azores, after making a 

 distinguished marriage with a native of those islands, a sister- 

 in-law of Caspar Cortereal's sister. But it was during a 

 visit to his native town (1490-93) that he constructed his 

 globe. The sources of Behaim's representation of the North 

 1 As to Behaim, see, in particular, Ravenstein, 1908. 



287 



