The Ptolemy world map is a map of the world known to Hellenistic society in the 2nd century.
It is based on the description contained in Ptolemy's book Geography, written c. 150.
Based on an inscription in several of the earliest surviving manuscripts, it is traditionally
credited to Agathodaemon of Alexandria. Significant contributions of Ptolemy's maps
are the first use of longitudinal and latitudinal lines as well as specifying terrestrial locations
by celestial observations. The Geography was translated from Greek into Arabic in the 9th
century and played a role in the work of al-Khwārizmī before lapsing into obscurity. The idea of
a global coordinate system revolutionized European geographical thought, however, and
inspired more mathematical treatment of cartography. Ptolemy's work probably originally came with
maps, but none have been discovered. Instead, the present form of the map was reconstructed
from Ptolemy's coordinates by Byzantine monks under the direction of Maximus Planudes shortly
after 1295. It probably was not that of the original text, as it uses the less favored
of the two alternate projections offered by Ptolemy.
== Continents == The continents are given as Europe, Asia,
and Libya (Africa). The World Ocean is only seen to the west. The map distinguishes two
large enclosed seas: the Mediterranean and the Indian (Indicum Pelagus). Due to Marinus
and Ptolemy's mistaken measure of the circumference of the earth, the former is made to extend
much too far in terms of degrees of arc; due to their reliance on Hipparchus, they mistakenly
enclose the latter with an eastern and southern shore of unknown lands, which prevents the
map from identifying the western coast of the World Ocean.India bound by the Ganges
Rivers, but its peninsula is much shortened. The nation of Scythia located on the Indus
River Valley is coterminous Pakistan. Ceylon (Taprobane) is greatly enlarged due to its
reputation over the world . The Malay Peninsula is given as the Golden Chersonese instead
of the earlier "Golden Island", which derived from Indian accounts of the mines on Sumatra.
Beyond the Golden Chersonese, the Great Gulf (Magnus Sinus) forms a combination of the
Gulf of Thailand and South China Sea which is bound by the unknown lands thought to enclose
the Indian Sea. China is divided into two realms—the Qin (Sinae) and the Land of Silk
(Serica)—owing to the different accounts received from the overland and maritime Silk
Roads.The Geography and the map derived from it probably played an important role in the
expansion of the Roman Empire to the East. Trade throughout the Indian Ocean was extensive
from the 2nd century, and many Roman trading ports have been identified in India. From
these ports, Roman embassies to China are recorded in Chinese historical sources from
around 166. The Danish historian Gudmund Schütte attempted
to reconstruct the Danish part of Ptolemy's world map. This derivative includes several
place- and tribe-names, some of which can be interpreted to their
contemporary equivalent. The most prominent feature of the map is the peninsula Jutland
placed north of the river Albis Trêva, west of the Saxonôn Nesôi (archipelago), east
of the Skandiai Nêsoi, which itself lies west of a larger island Skandia. Skandia is
home to the Goutai in the center, and the Phiraisoi in the east.
North of Jutland lies a third archipelago Alokiai Nêsoi. South of the Albis lives the
Lakkobardoi and to its north the Saxones. The west coast of Jutland is home to the Sigulônes,
the Sabaliggio, the Kobandoi, the Eundusioi and the northernmost Kimbroi (possibly Cimbri).
The center and east is home to the Kimbrikê (possibly Cimbri), the Chersonêsos and the
Charudes