Conspiracy Theories Podcast: The Piri Reis Map
Episode Title: The Piri Reis Map
Host: Carter Roy
Release Date: November 6, 2024
Podcast Description: Exploring the world's most controversial events and the intricate beliefs behind them, from Bigfoot sightings to alien landings.
Introduction to the Piri Reis Map
Carter Roy opens the episode by recounting the discovery of the Piri Reis map in 1929 by Turkish historian Halil Edem at Istanbul's Topkapi Palace.
"[...] someone had to sort through hundreds of years worth of documents. His eyes danced across the faded yellow pages, but when he unfolded one roll of parchment, he stopped. He held in his hands a map. It was spectacular." [00:04]
The map, signed and dated 1530 by the Ottoman cartographer Piri Reis, depicted the Atlantic Ocean, Africa, North America, and South America with remarkable accuracy, especially the South American coastline—a region supposedly unknown to Europeans two decades prior to Columbus's voyages.
Piri Reis: Life and Cartographic Endeavors
Born around 1465 in Gallipoli, Piri Reis (real name Haji Ahmed Muhuddin Piri) rose to prominence as a naval captain in the Ottoman Empire. At 12, he joined his uncle Kemal's pirate crew, engaging in privateering to aid Ottoman expansion without provoking open warfare.
After Kemal's death in 1510, Piri Reis shifted his focus to cartography. Over three years, he compiled over 200 charts from the past two millennia, including ancient maps from Alexander the Great's era and those by Portuguese and Arabic explorers. This monumental effort culminated in the creation of his renowned map in 1513, which he presented to Sultan Selim I in 1517.
"Peary Rees included several compass roses on the chart. Hapgood used these to create a grid across the map that would allow him to identify the precise longitude and latitude of each geographic feature." [03:37]
Discovery and Initial Analysis
The map remained obscure until 1929 when Halil Edem unearthed it during efforts to convert the Topkapi Palace into a museum. Recognizing its significance, Edem consulted scholar Paul Kalla, an expert in Islamic history. Kalla’s analysis highlighted the map's sources, including a chart allegedly taken from Christopher Columbus's voyages, captured by Piri Reis's uncle during piracy.
Arlington Mallory's Revelation
In 1956, U.S. Navy Captain Arlington Mallory revisited the map and identified an anomalous feature: the southern tip of South America curved westward toward Africa, resembling Antarctica—a continent officially "discovered" in 1820. Mallory posited that this indicated advanced ancient knowledge predating known exploration capabilities.
"Their only explanation was that someone had charted the southern continent when it was still warm. But that couldn't possibly be the case because Antarctica had been frozen for millions of years." [15:29]
Charles Hapgood and the Atlantis Connection
Harvard-educated historian Charles Hapgood embraced Mallory's findings, integrating them into his theory of a shifting Earth's crust. Hapgood suggested that Antarctica had migrated southward due to centrifugal forces, making it habitable in Piri Reis's time.
In his 1958 book, Earth's Shifting Crust, Hapgood argued that the precision of the Piri Reis map indicated an ancient civilization's involvement—potentially the mythical Atlantis. He identified grid patterns on the map that mirrored modern latitude and longitude, attributing this to advanced seafaring technology lost to history.
"Hapgood believed that thousands of years ago, centrifugal force caused the heavier continents on the surface to slide towards the equator. This effectively displaced Antarctica, which then migrated south." [15:10]
Rand and Rose Flemmath's Further Exploration
Inspired by Hapgood, Rand and Rose Flemmath proposed that Atlantis was located in Antarctica. Their 1994 book, When the Sky Fell, linked Atlantis's existence and sudden disappearance to continental drift and a cataclysmic ice age around 9500 BCE. They asserted that remnants of Atlantean technology influenced early human civilizations.
"Rand believed historians had made a miscalculation. Experts previously suspected that human civilization began around 6,000 years ago. But Rand claimed that civilization was actually hundreds of thousands of years old." [25:10]
Erich von Däniken and Extraterrestrial Theories
Swiss author Erich von Däniken extended the Atlantis hypothesis by suggesting extraterrestrial involvement. He argued that the unparalleled accuracy of the Piri Reis map implied aerial surveying capabilities, attributing this to alien technology or influence.
"According to Daniken, the only way someone could have drawn Antarctica so accurately was if they flew over it." [25:10]
Criticism and Debunking by Dr. Greg McIntosh
Historian and engineer Dr. Greg McIntosh critically examined the Piri Reis map in his 2000 book, The Pea Rees Map. He debunked the claims of Antarctic depiction by highlighting several inaccuracies:
-
South American Features: McIntosh pointed out misplaced rivers, incorrect orientations, and missing islands, such as Trinidad and a rotated Hispaniola.
-
Antarctic Representation: Overlaying the map with modern Antarctic charts revealed significant discrepancies in coastline features, undermining claims of accurate representation.
"When Charles Hapgood examined Peary's sketch of South America, he was amazed that the cartographer had seemingly drawn the Andes Mountain range, even though the European explorers hadn't discovered it in 1513." [26:37]
McIntosh concluded that the supposed Antarctic features were either misunderstandings or deliberate political fabrications by Portuguese cartographers to obscure navigation routes.
Conclusion: The Legacy of the Piri Reis Map
Despite the controversies, the Piri Reis map remains a pivotal artifact in historical cartography. While initial theories linked it to lost civilizations or extraterrestrial influences, scholarly critique has largely debunked these notions, attributing the map's peculiarities to the limitations and political motivations of medieval cartographers.
"Before a cataclysmic fall from grace. In 1513, Peary set out to create a map of the known world. In hindsight, it's easy to judge his errors, but we shouldn't get too secure in our knowledge." [26:37]
Carter Roy emphasizes the enduring mystery and significance of the Piri Reis map, reminding listeners of the vast unexplored territories that still hold secrets.
"Perhaps in 500 years, humanity will look back at us and laugh at how little we actually knew about planet Earth." [26:37]
Notable Quotes
- Carter Roy: "The truth isn't always the best story, and the official story isn't always the truth." [End of Episode]
Episode Credits:
Written by Xander Bernstein with assistance from Molly Quinlan and Connor Sampson. Fact-checked by Kara Mackerline, researched by Bradley Klein, and sound designed by Spencer Howard. Head of Programming: Julian Warau. Head of Production: Nick Johnson. Post Production Supervisor: Spencer Howard.
Connect with Us:
Follow Conspiracy Theories on Instagram @ConspiracyPod and share your thoughts via the Spotify app or email at storiespotify@conspiracy.com.