CONTENTS
CHAP.
PREFACE
LIST OF MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS
INTRODUCTION
I. THE WORLD AS KNOWN TO THE ANCIENTS
II. THE SPREAD OF CONQUEST IN THE ANCIENT WORLD
III. GEOGRAPHY IN THE DARK AGES
IV. MEDIÆVAL TRAVELS--MARCO POLO, IBN BATUTA
V. ROADS AND COMMERCE
VI. TO THE INDIES EASTWARD--PORTUGUESE ROUTE--PRINCE HENRY AND VASCO
DA GAMA
VII. TO THE INDIES WESTWARD--SPANISH ROUTE--COLUMBUS AND MAGELLAN
VIII. TO THE INDIES NORTHWARD--ENGLISH, FRENCH, DUTCH, AND RUSSIAN ROUTES
IX. PARTITION OF AMERICA
X. AUSTRALIA AND THE SOUTH SEAS--TASMAN AND COOK
XI. EXPLORATION AND PARTITION OF AFRICA--PARK, LIVINGSTON, AND STANLEY
XII. THE POLES--FRANKLIN, ROSS, NORDENSKIOLD, AND NANSEN
ANNALS OF DISCOVERY
LIST OF MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS
COAT-OF-ARMS OF DEL CANO (from Guillemard, _Magellan_. By kind
permission of Messrs. Phillips).--It illustrates the importance
attributed to the Spice Islands as the main object of Magellan's
voyage. For the blazon, see pp. 129-30.
THE EARLIEST MAP OF THE WORLD (from the Rev. C. J. Ball's _Bible
Illustrations_, 1898).--This is probably of the eighth century
B.C., and indicates the Babylonian view of the world surrounded by
the ocean, which is indicated by the parallel circles, and traversed
by the Euphrates, which is seen meandering through the middle, with
Babylon, the great city, crossing it at the top. Beyond the ocean
are seven successive projections of land, possibly indicating the
Babylonian knowledge of surrounding countries beyond the Euxine
and the Red Sea.
THE WORLD ACCORDING TO PTOLEMY.--It will be observed that the Greek
geographer regarded the Indian Ocean as a landlocked body of water,
while he appears to have some knowledge of the so ces of the Nile.
The general tendency of the map is to extend Asia very much to
the east, which led to the miscalculation encouraging Columbus to
discover America.
THE ROMAN ROADS OF EUROPE (drawn specially for this work).--These
give roughly the limits within which the inland geographical knowledge
of the ancients reach some degrees of accuracy.
GEOGRAPHICAL MONSTERS (from an early edition of Mandeville's
_Travels_).--Most of the mediæval maps were dotted over with similar
monstrosities.
THE HEREFORD MAP.--This, one of the best known of mediæval maps,
was drawn by Richard of Aldingham about 1307. Like most of these
maps, it has the East with the terrestrial paradise at the top,
and Jerusalem is represented as the centre.
PEUTINGER TABLE, WESTERN PART.--This is the only Roman map extant;
it gives lines of roads from the eastern shores of Britain to the
Adriatic Sea. It is really a kind of bird's-eye view taken from
the African coast. The Mediterranean runs as a thin strip through
the lower part of the map. The lower section joins on to the upper.
THE WORLD ACCORDING TO IBN HAUKAL (from Lelewel, _Géographie du
mon age_).--This map, like most of the Arabian maps, has the south
at the top. It is practically only a diagram, and is thus similar
to the Hereford Map in general form.--Misr=Egypt, Fars=Persia,
Andalus=Spain.
COAST-LINE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN (from the _Portulano_ of Dulcert,
1339, given in Nordenskiold's _Facsimile Atlas_).--To illustrate
the accuracy with which mariners' charts gave the coast-lines as
contrasted with the merely symbolical representation of other mediæval
maps.
FRA MAURO MAP, 1457 (from Lelewel, _loc. Cit._).--Here, as usual,
the south is placed at the top of the map. Besides the ordinary
mediæval conceptions, Fra Mauro included the Portuguese discoveries
along the coast of Africa up to his time, 1457.
PORTUGUESE DISCOVERIES IN AFRICA (from E. J. Payne, _European Colonies_,
1877).--Giving the successive points reached by the Portuguese
navigators during the fifteenth century.
PORTUGUESE INDIES (from Payne, _loc. Cit._).--All the ports mentioned
in ordinary type were held by the Portuguese in the sixteenth century.
THE TOSCANELLI MAP (from Kretschmer, _Entdeckung Amerikas_, 1892).--This
is a reconstruction of the map which Columbus got from the Italian
astronomer and cartographer Toscanelli and used to guide him in
his voyage across the Atlantic. Its general resemblance to the
Behaim Globe will be remarked.
