Introduction To Cosmography Essay

Cosmography is the study of the known world and its place in the cosmos. This study played a significant role in our understanding of how the New World was discovered. In 1506, two men by the names of Matthias Ringmann and Martin Waldseemüller, collaborated together on a magnificent map that depicted something no one had ever seen before. Through the descriptive letters from a Florentine merchant, Amerigo Vespucci, Ringmann and Waldseemüller were able to formulate a textbook titled, Introduction to Cosmography, as well as create a massive map, which revealed a missing piece of the known world. These works were largely known to be extinct, yet one was discovered in the later half of the 19th century. The most significant information revealed …show more content…
Mainly, the arguments highlight the similarities between the writing habits of Ringmann and the text found in the Introduction to Cosmography. Ancient Greek can be found throughout the text, which can be linked to Ringmann’s extensive knowledge of ancient Greek. Furthermore, Ringmann loved to express himself through made up word combinations of Latin and other languages, which were commonly found in the Naming-of-America passage. For example, Ringmann used the term Amerigen in the Naming-of-America passage in reference to Amerigo Vespucci. Ringmann combined the name Amerigo with the Greek word ‘gen’ in order to create Amerigen, which translates to ‘Land of Amerigo’. His fixation with using feminine words for concepts or places, influenced him to change ‘Amerigen’ to ‘America’, further supporting the fact that Ringmann named America after Amerigo Vespucci. Through these arguments, it can be concluded that Matthias Ringmann is the true author of the Introduction to Cosmography and the individual to name America after Amerigo