Atlantis Online
March 28, 2024, 04:13:21 am
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
News: Plato's Atlantis: Fact, Fiction or Prophecy?
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=CarolAnn_Bailey-Lloyd
http://www.underwaterarchaeology.com/atlantis-2.htm
 
  Home Help Arcade Gallery Links Staff List Calendar Login Register  

PORTOLANS

Pages: [1]   Go Down
  Print  
Author Topic: PORTOLANS  (Read 3753 times)
0 Members and 7 Guests are viewing this topic.
Bianca
Superhero Member
******
Posts: 41646



« on: September 30, 2007, 07:53:30 am »








                                               P O R T O L A N S





Mariners during the 15th century relied on charts called "portolans" to assist them on their voyages. 'Portolan' comes from the Italian word 'portolani', which were medieval pilot books. The portolans contained maps of coastlines, locations of harbors, river mouths, and man-made features visible from the sea. They were a compilation of centuries of seafarer observations.

As sailors' skills improved and the use of the compass was more widespread, portolans improved in accuracy. Also Columbus used these portolans on his journeys. Portuguese chartmakers added the meridian line, a point useful for latitude sailing as well as for navigating solely by compass.

A geographic feature could now be located through the use of its distance in degrees of latitude from a ship's point of departure. Note that the use of latitude and longitude was understood since the time of Ptolemy, the second century CE.

During the fifteenth century Portugal led the European world in sea exploration. The golden age of discovery for Portugal lasted almost a century until the Dutch eventually seized their trade routes from them.
Report Spam   Logged

Your mind understands what you have been taught; your heart what is true.


Pages: [1]   Go Up
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by EzPortal
Bookmark this site! | Upgrade This Forum
SMF For Free - Create your own Forum
Powered by SMF | SMF © 2016, Simple Machines
Privacy Policy