Old maps offer glimpse of Indonesia history<\/p>\n
Ida Indawati Khouw, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Hundreds of years ago, a map was more prized than either gold
\nor silver for European sailors. Maps were needed to navigate
\nships so that they could reach their destination, often newly
\ndiscovered lands, which were later to become their colonies.<\/p>\n
In Spain and Portugal -- two countries that initiated European
\nexploration during the 16th century -- losing a map meant death,
\nwhile possessing it meant pride.<\/p>\n
What kind of maps were these? Unlike modern maps, the maps
\ncreated between the 15th and 18th century were beautiful
\nartworks.<\/p>\n
A map didn't only show islands but was also full of colorful
\nillustrations including strange creatures, beautiful angels and
\nelegant frames.<\/p>\n
It was alongside such beautiful pictures that Indonesia
\nstarted to appear on the world map.<\/p>\n
Curious to see old maps? Well, just visit the National Museum
\non Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat, Central Jakarta. There is the Peta
\nIndonesia dari Masa ke Masa (Maps of Indonesia over time)
\nexhibition being held throughout the whole of December. On
\ndisplay are 75 maps, some original, some reproductions. Only a
\nfew of them are modern.<\/p>\n
Seeing the collection is like witnessing the process of the
\n"growing" Indonesian archipelago before it reached its current
\nform.<\/p>\n
The starting point of the exhibition is the small T-O map, a
\nblack-and-white round map dated to 1472 with a diameter of 6.5
\ncentimeters. It is believed to be the first printed map of the
\nworld.<\/p>\n
It is called the T-O map because the world is divided into
\nthree regions by a T shape, with Asia -- located in the northern
\npart -- as the biggest continent occupying half of the world.
\nEurope is located in the southern part on the left side and
\nAfrica is on the right. The three regions are encircled by an O-
\nshaped sea.<\/p>\n
It was not long before the Indonesian archipelago began to
\nappear on the world map. The name Java Major (Java Island) and
\nJava Minor (Sumatra Island) first appeared on a map made by
\nFrancesco Rossellini between 1492 and 1493.<\/p>\n
Collector of old maps Heru Sajuto said the terms Java Major
\nand Java Minor were created by Marco Polo as he considered them
\nthe biggest islands in the world. "He assumed that Java was
\nconnected with the land below, Australia," Heru said.<\/p>\n
Polo's story of his journey to Asia in the 12th century and
\nthe book of Claudius Ptolemy, the Greek expert on geography --
\nGeographia written in 150 A.D. -- provided the basics for 15th
\ncentury's cartographers when mapping the world.<\/p>\n
It is interesting to see that cartographer Laurent Fries (c.
\n1490-1532) included an illustration of cannibalism when graphing
\nthe island of Java on the Indiae Orientalis map. Indiae
\nOrientalis is probably the oldest map to describe Indonesia in
\nspecific terms.<\/p>\n
However, the names given to the archipelago are not the same
\nas they are today. For example: Halmahera island was called
\nGiololo, Kalimantan was called Porne while Timor was Timos.<\/p>\n
Inaccuracies are also found on many of the maps. On a map made
\nin 1565, Irian is described as a small island located in the
\nPhilippines archipelago, while the island of Java is drawn much
\nlarger than its actual size.<\/p>\n
A more accurate and detailed map of Indonesia was made by
\nDutch cartographer Jan Huygen van Lindschoten. He acquired his
\nknowledge after stealing a map in Goa -- a transit city in India
\nfor Portuguese ships during their journey to Indonesia -- after
\nyears of working at a Portuguese convent there.<\/p>\n
Heru said that one of the most beautiful maps of Indonesia was
\nthe Insulindae Orientalis Praecipuae Inquibus Moluccae (1606).<\/p>\n
"It shows Indonesia in its complete form and accurately, along
\nwith illustrations of battles between Portuguese, Spanish and
\nDutch ships around the Indonesian archipelago," he added.<\/p>",
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