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Claudius Clavus' Map of Greenland
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Status: |
Missing |
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Date: |
about 1410 AD |
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Artist: |
Claudius Claussön Swart aka Claudius Clavus (1388-unknown) |
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Origin: |
Greenland and Scandanavia |
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Media: |
Ink on parchment |
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Measurements: |
Unknown |
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Last Known: |
Italy, about 1427 |
What is it?A chart or map showing the north-west of Europe and also Greenland.Why is it important?The first map ever to include any part of America (Greenland) and one that influenced mapmakers, via copies, for hundreds of years.Description:The map is in ink drawn on parchment. No one knows whether it is loose or bound into a volume with other documents.History:Claudius Claussön Swart, born 1388 in Denmark, is more widely known by the Latinized version of his name, Claudius Clavus. He traveled extensively through Scandinavia and over to Greenland and made charts and notes of his journeys. When he traveled to Rome in 1424 he became acquainted with those assembling a new edition Ptolemy's "Geographia." The northern lands where Clavus had traveled were unknown to Ptolemy himself and appeared only roughly sketched out on maps before Clavus.
Clavus' great contributions to cartography were not only details about the Nordic lands but also the first ever map of Greenland. What many people do not realize is that Greenland is actually part of North America, not Scandinavia. And so, Clavus' map was the very first to include a part of the American continent.
While Clavus' maps are preserved as copies in many later works his originals remain missing.Clues:The map is last known to have been in Rome, Italy in 1427. Could it still be there hidden in one of the many ancient collections or libraries in that city?
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Map of Scandinavia from Ptolemy's "Geographia." Courtesy of University of Uppsala, Sweden
A 1427 map drawn from the work of Claudius Clavus. Courtesy of Verasir.dk Asernes AEt
Modern map of Scandinavia and Greenland. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Links and SourcesExploring Carta Marina. Ed. Lily Diaz-Kommonen. 2007. 27 August 2007. Fischer, Joseph. "Claudius Clavus." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Ed.Charles G. Herbermann, et.al. New York: The Universal Knowledge Foundation, Inc. 1909 Fredrikson, Erkki. "Finland: 500 years on the map of Europe." Virtual Finland. 1998. Helsinki: Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland. 27 August 2007 HELP AND GET CREDIT! This entry is incomplete. If you would like expand the entry or offer additional information please contact us. |
