In the middle of the last century, a myth appeared that is associated with the discovery of America. The so-called Vinland map stirred up the entire scientific world, and traces of this myth passed into the present century. This map shows the outlines of North America, taken about five hundred years before the discovery of this continent by Christopher Columbus. A certain part of the scientific community stubbornly refuses to admit the existence of this mysterious map. There is no difference in this, because you can't take away the palm from Columbus!
What is this card? A small parchment measuring 28 * 41 centimeters, the coast of North America is clearly marked on it, the outlines of two straits - the Hudson and St. Lawretius - are visible. The map shows the outlines of Asia, Africa and Europe, in the northern part of the European continent, the three islands Iceland, Greenland and Vinland are depicted. There is an inscription on the map that reads Vinilanda Insula a Byarno reperta et leipho sociis or, translated into Russian, “Vinland Island, discovered by the satellites Bjarni and Leife”.
In the upper corner there is an entry in Latin describing the purpose of the voyage of the travelers. The record says that by God's will, after a grueling and long voyage, making his way to the southern part of the island of Greenland, through the thick ice and the violent ocean, Bjarni, Leife and companions went to the dangerous western regions of the ocean and discovered a new land, which they later called Wieland. This region was rich in vineyards. It was further indicated that Henryk (Eric), Bishop of the Holy See of Greenland and neighboring countries, was very pleased to see this land, and blessed the ship's crew for further success. After the unexpected discovery of these lands, the bishop returns to his homeland again.
Experts who have studied this unique document have come to the conclusion that this map was compiled in 999 AD, that is, 493 years before the official discovery of the new continent by Christopher Columbus. Thus, two daring Scandinavian navigators Bjarni and Leif were the first to discover a new continent. It is possible that when Christopher Columbus set off on his voyage around the world, he could have used the data from this map. Interestingly, the data on this map coincide surprisingly with the Icelandic sagas and other ancient sources. In some of the chronicles of Iceland, you can find interesting facts about the Bishop of Greenland, Eric, who, in fact, went to Vinland in 1121. In the text, attention is drawn to the mention of the Pope Paschal II,who held the throne from August 13, 1099 to January 21, 1118.
The map first appeared in 1957, in Barcelona. A certain bookseller put up for sale this map and a copy of the book of the Middle Ages "History of the Tatars", which tells about the trip to Mongolia of the Franciscan missionary monk Johann de Plano Carpini. The missionary visited Mongolia around 1245-1247. An American from Connecticut, Lawrence Whitten, acquired unique antiques. The antiquary purchased the book and map for only $ 3,500.
In 1959, an anonymous buyer bought the map and the book for a fabulous sum of $ 250,000 at that time. A few years later, this anonymous graduate turned out to be a Yale University graduate, he is also an American businessman, philanthropist and powerful patron of art Paul Mellon. The entrepreneur was not only the editor of the oldest student newspaper Yale Daily News in the United States, but also a member of the famous secret society Scroll. Manuscript. Key"
Paul Mellon involved specialists from the British Museum in the study, but until 1965, no one suspected the existence of rare documents, no one advertised its existence. Then the scientific community sharply raised this topic, and the passion about this map has not subsided for several decades. In 1995, the card was insured for a fabulous amount of $ 25 million.
The map has been thoroughly analyzed by specialists. Particles of one of the forms of titanium dioxide, a very rare mineral, anatase, were found in the ink. Experts believe that anatase cannot be present in carbon based inks. But one of the researchers was able to prove that anatase could be formed from ilmenite minerals, which contain titanium. This metal was used in ancient times to obtain paints, that is, it was its main raw material.
Promotional video:
At the 23rd International Conference on the History of Cartography, held in Copenhagen, the rector of the School of Conservation at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Dr. René Larsen, was able to prove that anatase originated from ordinary sand. In ancient times, in order for the manuscripts to dry faster, they sprinkled them with sand. Larsen told the entire scientific community that the research carried out by him and his group allows us to assert that the ancient document is by no means a fake. The small holes that appeared on the parchment and on the book suggest that they were created by tree beetles, since both documents were stored together, and the beetle simultaneously damaged the map and the book.
If, nevertheless, it is possible to prove that Vinland was discovered by Scandinavian navigators, then no one will take away the palm trees from Columbus. After all, the Scandinavian seafarers failed to bring to the New World what Christopher Columbus did.