Perspectives on the Origins and Uses of the Portolan Charts

Abstract

Portolan charts have generated much speculation about their origins and uses—theories difficult to substantiate. This paper suggests proposed hypotheses be tested by simulating the detailed processes involved, using a computer. A simulation run produces an outline map of the area studied, typically the Mediterranean, which, when compared with surviving charts, provides a measure of the credibility of the hypothesis. Here, details of the processes involved are discussed in their historical context, illustrated by simple simulation models. Modelling cannot establish historical truth, at least not directly. Nevertheless, studying the detailed interaction of the processes likely to have combined to generate the portolan charts should help distinguish what is possible from what is not.

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