Old globe, ‘New World’

A peculiar object believed to be the oldest globe of the Americas has been found. Drawn on two halves of two ostrich eggs glued together, the discovery was presented on July 8 in Rome at the Italian Geographic Society. Information about its possible cultural and geographic implications has been published in The Portolan Journal, the official magazine of the Washington Map Society. If proven authentic, the globe would indicate that Europe was more advanced than previously believed in its understanding of geography in the years leading up to the 16th century. Some researchers have suggested that the work may have been authored by Leonardo Da Vinci. Prior to this work, the oldest mapping of the Americas was drawn on a Lenox branch dating back to 1510.