Study Document · Historical Evidence
Old Maps
Old Maps
Before the globe became the only picture we were allowed to hold, cartographers drew something else. These maps are from that earlier world.
Before the globe became the only picture we were allowed to hold, cartographers drew something else. These maps are from that earlier world.
We collected these maps from institutional archives, the David Rumsey Map Collection, the Internet Archive, rare map dealers, because several of them depict coastlines and landmasses that do not fit comfortably into the geography we were taught in school.
Most striking are the Terre de Iesso charts: 17th and 18th century French maps showing a large landmass north of Japan that does not correspond to anything in modern atlases. Philippe Buache's 1754 series is among the most detailed. Coronelli's 1688 America Settentrionale shows features that have provoked serious discussion among researchers who still bother to look.
We are not here to tell you what to conclude. We present these as primary sources. Examine them yourself; draw your own conclusions.
Coronelli's map of North America, including new discoveries up to 1688. What catches the eye are landmasses and geographic features north of the Pacific that do not correspond to modern geography. Held in institutional archives and available on Wikimedia Commons.
Wikimedia Commons
A historical atlas held in the Internet Archive. Page N7 contains cartographic material worth studying if you want to understand early assumptions about the northern Pacific and polar regions.
Open in Internet Archive
A primary source document archived at the Internet Archive. Cartographic and geographical material reflecting how northern and polar geography was once perceived.
Open in Internet ArchivePhilippe Buache (1700, 1773) was the official Geographer to the King of France. His 1754 series of charts documents the coastlines of Terre de Iesso, a large landmass believed to exist north of Japan. It is among the most detailed historical cartography of a region that does not appear in modern world geography. These charts are held in the David Rumsey Map Collection, one of the world's largest online collections of historical cartography.
Buache's detailed chart of the strait of Iesso between America and the island of Iesso. From the raremaps.com gallery. You can see the strait separating the continent from the mysterious northern landmass.
View on raremaps.com
A chart showing both the Island of California, another disputed historical geographical feature, and Terre de Iesso together. From the David Rumsey Map Collection.
View on David Rumsey
The southern coastline of Eso (Iesso). One of Buache's detailed coastal survey charts documenting the southern shores of this disputed northern landmass. David Rumsey Map Collection.
View on David Rumsey
The northern and eastern coastline of the Terre d'Eso. Buache's chart showing how far the landmass extended to the north and east. David Rumsey Map Collection.
View on David Rumsey
A northern view of the Isle des Etats and the land of Eso. Buache's perspective drawing gives a three-dimensional rendering of the northern coastline. David Rumsey Map Collection.
View on David Rumsey
Coastal views of the land or isle of ESO. Multiple perspective drawings by Buache showing the coastal profile of this disputed landmass from different vantage points. David Rumsey Map Collection.
View on David RumseyThe archives below hold large collections of historical maps available for free public study. The David Rumsey Map Collection alone contains over 150,000 maps spanning five centuries. The Internet Archive preserves digitised atlases, rare books, and cartographic materials that are otherwise difficult to access.
We present these maps as primary historical documents for independent study. We make no claims about what conclusions you should draw from them. Examine primary sources directly, test everything against Scripture, and come to your own conclusions before the Lord.