Ostrich-Egg Globe May Be Oldest to Depict New World

22 Aug
Washington Map Society
Washington Map Society
I saw this Interesting article on the History Channel website.  According to the article, “Ostrich-Egg Globe May Be Oldest to Depict New World,” researchers believe the globe is dated 1504, and it’s the oldest yet to identify the New World (the Americas).  The article states: “Thomas Sander, editor of the Portolan, points out that the egg might have been made for an Italian noble family around the time of famed artist Leonardo da Vinci, when the nobility often kept ostriches in their back gardens as one more sign of their wealth.”  Finally, the Latin phrase Hic Sunt Dracones, translated as “Here be dragons” appears on the globe above the coast of Southeast Asia.  I thought this was a great article, especially since we are learning about maps and how maps have changed over time. Click on the link to read the entire article.
National Geographic Education – click on this link to see a wide variety of maps. 

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8 Responses to “Ostrich-Egg Globe May Be Oldest to Depict New World”

  1. Gyeong Deok's avatar
    Gyeong Deok August 22, 2013 at 2:04 pm #

    Cool!

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  2. Abhi's avatar
    Abhi August 23, 2013 at 11:09 am #

    Really interesting! Though why do they call it Ostrich egg globe?

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    • Rob Martin's avatar
      Mr. Martin August 23, 2013 at 11:21 am #

      Abhi,

      This early globe was actually painted on the ostrich egg, if you can believe that. The article states some of the other early forms of maps that people used.
      Mr. Martin

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      • Abhi's avatar
        Abhi August 26, 2013 at 4:07 am #

        So cool! A natural globe!

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  3. Natsumi's avatar
    Natsumi August 26, 2013 at 4:47 pm #

    Wow. That’s really cool.
    But why did they use ostrich egg?
    Because it is big?

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    • Abhi's avatar
      Abhi August 27, 2013 at 3:49 am #

      Maybe because it is round like the earth.

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  4. Advika's avatar
    Advika August 28, 2013 at 3:48 pm #

    Wow, this is really interesting! Another possible explanation for how the globe came into existence is the artist could have used his/her natural resources to help his/her community understand the Americas better, and they could have used the globe to plan expeditions or other trips. I agree, Mr. Martin, it has a strong connection with the five themes of geography.

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    • Abhi's avatar
      Abhi August 29, 2013 at 6:41 am #

      True

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