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portolan charts  

Definition

  • Portolan charts were produced in Mediterranean lands primarily during the 13th through 16th centuries. Originally single-sheet maps that were drawn on rolled scrolls of sheepskin and used by sailors in the Mediterranean region, they were soon joined by portolan atlases that typically covered the Atlantic coast of Europe and the Black Sea as well as the Mediterranean and that likely served a more decorative function. [Source: Encyclopedia of Geography; Portolan Charts]

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https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/portolan_charts

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