Notes on the early history of the terrestrial globes: from Antiquity to the Renaissance

The concept of representing the heavens on a globe predates that of representing the Earth on a globe. It is not possible to ascertain whether the realisation of the spherical shape of the Earth (5th century BC) also led to the creation of the first terrestrial globes. The existence of terrestrial globes in the 3rd century BC can only be inferred indirectly from the sources. They were probably very small and were used as part of a model of the cosmos (Archimedes). The earliest terrestrial globe known from sources is monumental and dates from the middle of the 2nd century BC (Krates). By the first century BC, terrestrial globes had become the generally accepted form of cartographic representation of the Earth. The first instructions for constructing globes were written by Geminus (c. 70 BC), Strabo (7 BC) and Ptolemy (2nd century BC). The fundamental structure of the initial globes is uncertain. They depicted the extent of the known world in a highly generalized manner, often in the form of spherical projections, as exemplified by Eratosthenes in the 3rd century BC. By the end of the 1st century BC, geographical descriptions of the Earth (Strabo) were sufficiently detailed to permit the reconstruction of the cartographic view of the world on a globe. Ptolemy provided an even more precise template by providing coordinates. In the Italian Renaissance, there are globe paintings of lost terrestrial globes. These were painted by Piero del Pollaiuolo, Donato Bramante and Raphael. The only verifiable globe from this period was created by Nicolaus Germanus.