S6 Ep3: Rounding the Cape with Patricia Seed

In this episode, Jerry meets with Patricia Seed, an American professor of history at the University of California, Irvine. Patricia has spent her career mapping the earliest voyages of European ‘discovery’ that transformed our world. Specialising in the history of cartography and navigation, she is an authority on latitude!

Together they discuss the ‘Ulm Ptolemy’, a landmark world map in The Sunderland Collection, so called for its inclusion in ‘Cosmographia’ (1482) which was published in Ulm by Lienhart Holle and based directly on the geography of Claudius Ptolemy (2nd Century CE).

This map was created six years before the Portuguese rounded the tip of Africa in 1488 and offers a fascinating snapshot on the eve of a global revolution. Using the map as a touchstone, Patricia and Jerry will talk about the key developments in late fifteen-century maritime navigation and the significance of voyages by Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias (1450-1500).

We also hear from Patricia about how this brought about a whole new world view and acted as the catalyst for one of the darkest periods of world history - the Transatlantic slave trade.

Follow along with this episode at oculi-mundi.com/patricia-seed

From historians, scientists and writers, to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries.

Join us as map historian Jerry Brotton invites each guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and personal stories behind it.

If you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - what’s YOUR map?

The award-winning What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique cartography.

For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen, and find more information and rabbit-holes about each guest.

Image detail: ©The Sunderland Collection

All views and opinions expressed by guests on the podcast are entirely their own and do not represent those of The Sunderland Collection or Whistledown Productions.