Maps and cartography have not always been as specific as they are today. Before the development of modern cartography, the first thing used for navigation were portolan charts. This was called portolanThese navigational charts became very important in the 14th and 15th centuries due to their relevance to trade. If you'd like to learn more about the importance of cartography, you can check out this article on synoptic maps.
In this article we are going to explain what a portulan is and what was its importance in the past.
What is a portulan
These are navigational maps that existed in ancient times and greatly boosted trade. Without GPS satellites like those we have today, navigation was much more complex. To transport goods from one place to another, separated by the ocean, it was necessary to know the fastest sea routes; all of this was facilitated by the existence of portolan charts.
Especially in the Mediterranean Sea, the existence of portolan charts It was key to success, as it allowed navigators to orient themselves using the compass. and to be able to locate the distance between the ports and the most important landmarks. With these facilities it was possible to increase trade more quickly.
If we look at a portolan chart, we see that it looks like a normal map. However, we can see that it has important differences. The first is that instead of parallels and meridians, they have a grid consisting of divided directions marked by a compass rose. The introduction of parallels and meridians came later with the introduction of modern cartography.
On the other hand, although it is a scale map, distances are expressed in leagues. If you want to delve deeper into this topic, you can read about the first known map and its historical significance.
Key features
These old maps feature a drawing of the coastline, with ports located as accurately as possible. It's true that if you look closely, you can see how the coastal features are exaggerated. However, this was done intentionally to warn ships and encourage them to exercise caution when approaching the coast. For more information on weather conditions and how they affect navigation, you can visit Morning Glory clouds.
Another aspect of portolan charts is that various decorative elements were added to the design, providing geographical, political, historical, and scientific information. For example, there were some occasions when you could see some territories that were not exploredThe cartographers did this based on their beliefs and the assumptions of the scholars of the time. That is, lands within the portolan chart could exist without necessarily existing.
For centuries, these portolan charts were documents of great strategic and economic value, whether used by pirates to locate areas to raid or hidden treasure. They were considered prestigious objects and valued more for their spectacular appearance and aesthetics than for their cartographic value. As expected, they were not 100% accurate, so their cartographic value was significantly reduced compared to today's maps.
Types of portolan
There are different types of portolan charts depending on their geographical origin. They are divided into three main groups based on where they were created: Italian, Majorcan, and Portuguese portolan charts. Let's analyze each one and learn all their characteristics.
italian portolan
They are the ones that were made mainly in Genoa, Venice and Rome. These are the oldest navigational charts that are still kept in the National Library of Paris. The oldest navigation chart is called the Pisan Chart. Other Italian Portulans who have been very famous are Carignano's letter (today it has not been found, it is missing), as well as other portolan charts that were developed by the Genoese Pietro Vesconte, Beccario, Francisco Pizigano, Canepa and the Benincasa brothers. To better understand how the maps relate to the magnetic field, you can read about the Earth's magnetic field.
Majorcan portolans
These Portulans added some novelties such as nautical-geographic charts thanks to the creation of the Majorcan Jew You think Abraham. This Jew's best-known work was a world map drawn up in 1375. It's worth considering the merit of creating a world map in an era when artificial satellites didn't exist and research couldn't be done with the same technology we have today.
This world map was created on 12 panels, each opened to a scroll. This map is now preserved in the National Library of Paris. It is the first time that the vast amount of information that existed about the continents, especially Asia, which reached Europe thanks to explorers such as Marco Polo, Jordanus, and others, was captured.
Portuguese portulans
These portolan charts were developed based on the Majorcan charts. They lasted only a short time before becoming obsolete when the discoveries of Spanish and Portuguese navigators required greater needs than these old portolan charts could now meet.
During this same historical period, other portolan charts were also developed within the Arab world. These charts focused primarily on the Mediterranean Sea. One of them, which became one of the most famous, depicted some American territories that had recently been discovered at the time. We're talking about the Piri Reis map from 1513 (remember that America was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492). This portolan chart also depicts some unexplored territories that were described with astonishing accuracy.
The usefulness of these maps lies in giving some functionality to the compass. When navigating, it's important to know the direction we need to go, but even more important is knowing our destination. We can use the compass's orientation to determine where we are or which direction we're headed. However, the combined use of the compass and the portolan chart is what enabled navigators to reach their intended destinations.
As you can see, the portolan chart helped significantly improve trade at that time. I hope this information helps you learn more about these cartographic maps.