The Piri Reis Map of 1513

by Gregory C. McIntosh, Norman J.W. Thrower (Foreword)

One of the most beautiful maps to survive the Great Age of Discoveries, the 1513 world map drawn by Ottoman admiral Piri Reis is also one of the most mysterious. Gregory McIntosh has uncovered new evidence in the map that shows it to be among the most important ever made.

This detailed study offers new commentary and explication of a major milestone in cartography. Correcting earlier work of Paul Kahle and pointing out the traps that have caught subsequent scholars, McIntosh disproves the dubious conclusion that the Reis map embodied Columbus's Third Voyage map of 1498, showing that it draws instead on the Second Voyage of 1493-1496. He also refutes the popular misinterpretation that Reis's depictions of Antarctica are evidence of either ancient civilizations or extraterrestrial visitation. McIntosh brings together all that has been previously known about the map and also assembles for the first time the translations of all inscriptions on the map and analyzes all place-names given for New World and Atlantic islands. His work clarifies long-standing mysteries and opens up new ways of looking at the history of exploration.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

240 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2000

Reviews

[Louisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every once in a while, the Piri Reis map pops up again as a "proof" for the wildest theories. The map purportedly shows a portion of Antarctica, densely vegetated and much closer to the equator than it currently is situated. It was made by Ottoman cartographer and military admiral Piri Reis in 1513, long before Antarctica was discovered in the 19th century. To explain the apparent appearance of the ice-free Antarctican coastline on the map, it is suggested (by Charles Hapgood, a history professor who brought the Piri Reis map to the attention of the USAF) that there must have been either UFO visitations or ancient civilizations with advanced mapping technology (including aerial photography!) capable of charting the area some time before the ice caps formed, and that Antarctica would have been located much further north than it is now due to a sudden shift of the earth’s entire lithosphere.

To confute these outlandish ideas, Gregory McIntosh studied the Piri Reis map in depth and concluded that the area in question is not Antarctica at all, but the east coast of South America, bent eastward to keep it all on the same sheet. This is obviously a distortion of the real shape of South America, but then all paper maps are, to some extent - the only accurate map is necessarily a globe. In 1513, Magellan's circumnavigation had not taken place yet; Tierra del Fuego and Cape Horn hadn't been discovered yet and it was anyone's guess how the southernmost tip of the South American continent looked like, or whether there was a southernmost tip at all. The Piri Reis map, argues McIntosh, was simply a compilation of several other, slightly older maps, combining what was geographically known about the New World at that point in time.

And now that McIntosh cleared that up, we can appreciate the Piri Reis map for what it is: a beautiful map with inscriptions about the people, flora, fauna, minerals and curiosities of the New World. As Piri Reis included information from Columbus' second voyage to the Americas, this is probably the only surviving map that was directly based on Columbus' own observations. It's not the most accurate historical map of the Americas (the depiction of North America is a terrible mess) but it certainly is a beautiful, fascinating document from those times of exploration - a fine piece of art.

[Bandar Al-Dossari · Rating 5 out of 5]

حظت هذه الشخصية باهتمام كبير من الغرب وتم تعين خراطة بأنها من اهم الخرائط في التاريخ واعجز العلماء في الدقة الشديدة لجغرافية تلك المناطق وحدودها قبل ظهور الاقمار الصناعية. وقبل وقت طويل من اكتشاف القطب الجنوبي في القرن ال19. رسم مظهر واضح للقارة القطبية الجنوبية وصور الساحل خالية من الجليد على الخريطة، يقترح (تشارلز هابجود، أستاذ التاريخ الذي درس خريطة بيري ريس لفت انتباه القوات الجوية الأمريكية أن هناك يجب أن يكون إما زيارات UFO أو الحضارات القديمة توصلت الى تقنية تحديد المواقع المتقدمة (بما في ذلك التصوير الجوي!) فكيف له يكون قادرة على رسم المنطقة قبل وقت ظهور القمم الجليدية و تشكيلها.


كتاب مشوق وغني بالمعلومات والأحداث التاريخية المختلفة و أنا متأكد من امكانية الجميع العثور على معلومات مثيرة للاهتمام حول مواضيع هذا الكتاب

[Cem Dylan]

Piri Reis is one of the most important Generals in Ottoman Empire's history and his map is one of the first known world maps in the world. Just before the America explored by Western Seaman he illustrates this continent in his map.

I am sure everyone can find very interesting information about those subjects.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very useful, particularly for its history of the development of alternative narratives about the map as proof of ancient aliens or an ancient advanced civilization.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading "Maps of the Ancient Sea Kings", I thought this book might clear up some issues and provide some analysis of previous studies done on this map. I feel that this book did a good job in this area. McIntosh goes to town on the sloppy methods used by others over the years and conducts a more unbiased study without putting forth wild theories or making the data fit any preconceived notions. His discussion about Piri Reis' use of a map made by Columbus is worth the read. [return][return]Here are a few quotes that I found apt in terms of criticizing earlier studies done. "It appears the method of Kahle, Levillier, Mallery, Hapgood, and others was to ignore the place-names inscribed on the landforms on the Piri Reis map, compare its features with a modern map to 'identify' the features, and then contrast the 'amazing accuracy' of the manuscript Piri Reis map with early printed maps." (pg. 41) Also on this page he notes that Hapgood only really looked at printed maps, which were "more inaccurate for their time", and that "the Piri Reis map is no more accurate than other manuscript maps of its time". McIntosh goes further in stating that "selective use of data can be used to support almost any untenable position". (pg. 68)