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September 8, 2026History of geo- and space sciencesOpen Access

Classical antiquity origin of spatial data underlying portolan charts: how Pietro Vesconte might have assembled the Carta Riccardiana utilising maps in Marinus of Tyre's projection

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Authors

TMTome Marelić

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Overview

Cartometric analysis reveals classical antiquity origins for medieval portolan chart geometry, suggesting copyists assembled maps using ancient projections rather than new marine surveys.

Key Points

  • To determine the origin of the accurate spatial data in late medieval portolan charts by conducting a cartometric evaluation of the Carta Riccardiana.
  • Conducted cartometric and historical analyses of the Carta Riccardiana, an anonymous portolan chart attributed to Pietro Vesconte (circa 1300–1325).
  • Compared geometric properties of the chart against historical projection models, including the projection of Marinus of Tyre and Ptolemy's first projection.
  • Critically reviewed systemic parameters in historical cartometric literature regarding perceived geometric affinities with modern Mercator projections.
  • Demonstrated that the chart's geometry aligns with regional maps from classical antiquity originally drafted in Marinus of Tyre's projection and calibrated to their mid-latitudes.
  • Showed that medieval cartographers scaled and tilted these antique regional maps using a map in Ptolemy's first projection as an overarching reference.
  • Identified that previously asserted structural similarities between the Carta Riccardiana and modern Mercator projections stem from misleading cartometric modeling parameters.

Cite This Study

Tome Marelić (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a9fd7d558e84d0ff5b46d4chttps://doi.org/10.5194/hgss-17-83-2026
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