Transcription problem - f68v3 and Rosettes foldout

[Linda]

Here is a blog post from 10 years ago. You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.

My interpretation is that the water represents Asia, maybe the great expanse of ocean such as Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean. The top right that corresponds to Europe should be self-explanatory. The top left is unclear as to what it represents (dessert??jungle??), but it corresponds to Africa. Sometimes different representative drawings are shown.

I can see that interpretation, but look at the text of Oresme in du ciel et du monde book 2 chapter 25, he states the habitable part of earth would be on the upper right, although you are right, he says it is the part where they reside, which would make it Europe as well..

How does one then account for the example that I have provided where there are clearly 2 habitable areas? And for which I have other reasons to believe it to be a T/O map.

I think it is just the evolution of various opinions and understandings being updated and expressed over time. Could be an us and them thing, for instance the Antipodes were thought not to exist, or if they did, the word of Jesus wouldn't have reached them so they didn't count anyway, or some such idea. If you are in the habitable world but you have been to Africa and know there are towns there, then you might draw them in as you know them. Depends too whether you travelled by land or sea, if you went to Asia by sea you might mistake it for an oceanic society when in reality there is a lot more land than Europe.

I am not saying You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. 3 does not show TO map, it could be the two conflated, i would prefer that possibility myself, as it would bring in more concepts that way. Or, it could have nothing to do with the Oresme example at all. Maybe an explanation that more of Asia had been learned about than is evident on most available maps has been included. I am just saying that if you follow the Oresme hints then that is where the text leads, to the Aristotlean elements and the ideas of how earth and water reconcile with each other, along with other evolving concepts such as a revolving earth, time, space, etc. However the reason i lean towards it being a possibility that the element are shown instead is that water ties more things together in my interpretation.

Again it all means nothing without figuring out the vms text. I am just offering these ideas in case it sparks other ideas that may not occur if we keep deciding it must be this or it wouldnt be that. I wonder if similar types of hints are hidden in the discrepancies between the two sets of legends. Affrika vs Africa, that sort of thing. I get the feeling that things that are confusing or often misinterpreted are highlighted somehow.