I still think the Piri Reis map gets too much credit for being 'accurate'

I was at a map fair in Portland last spring and this collector kept going on about how the Piri Reis map proves ancient explorers knew Antarctica. But when you actually look at the coastline he's pointing to, it matches the shape of South America's tip way better than any ice shelf. I measured the latitudinal offset using a modern overlay on my phone and it lines up with Tierra del Fuego within 2 degrees. Has anyone else found that the hype around this map ignores the simpler explanation?

2 comments

2 Comments

tessa_rivera1mo ago

Whoa wait, you actually overlaid it on your phone and measured it? That's way more convincing than all the hype I usually hear about that map.

the_kai1mo ago

Wait, you actually pulled out your phone and measured it right there at the map fair? That's next level commitment to proving a point, I gotta respect that. Most people just repeat the Antarctica theory without ever checking the math.