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Basing the identifications of the islands with lands on modern
maps led Robert Fuson to the conclusion that lands on the western
part of the portolan chart were Asian, and Antilia was Taiwan
(Paper presented at a meeting of the Society for the History of
Discoveries, 1988). Donald S. Johnson, in his Phantom Islands of the Atlantic, published in 1994, has an excellent chapter on "Antillia: The
Isle of Seven Cities." In this he records the medieval Spanish
story of how an archbishop and six bishops with their followers
fled to the west in the eighth century to escape from the invading
Moors. They sailed from Portugal to some place over the seas to
the west, where seven cities (Sete Cidades) were established (Johnson
1994, p. 131-32). These seven cities are supposed to be the places
shown on the 1424 Nautical Chart and later images of Antilia.
Because of the details shown on the islands, with names of places
given on some of them, it is very tempting to believe that they
are more than the results of legends or myths. But the names on
maps cannot be identified with modern places or even the origin
of the names determined with certainty. Too often the reading
of them is made to satisfy some theory about "firsts." What more
is there to be learned about these portolan charts?
Use the magnifying glasses below to see the island details.
Albino de Canepa 1489 Petrus Roselli 1466 1424 Nautical Chart
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