The Erdapfel, completed in 1492 for the Imperial City of Nuremberg, stands as the oldest surviving terrestrial globe in existence. Its creator, the merchant and cartographer Martin Behaim, remains a figure whose professional accomplishments are frequently entangled with historical embellishments and unsubstantiated claims regarding his contributions to the era of global maritime expansion.
Early Merchant Career
Born in Nuremberg in 1459, Behaim began his professional life within the textile trade. Following his father's death in 1474, he moved to Mechelen, Flanders, at age 15 to gain commercial experience. He eventually transitioned to Antwerp, a major center for the cloth industry, where he worked in a dye house and pursued various business interests throughout the late 1470s.
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In 1484, Behaim relocated to Lisbon to participate in the kingdom's expansive trade networks. He served as a counselor to King John II, and on 18 February 1485, the monarch granted him knighthood. While historical records confirm his residence in Portugal and his marriage to Joana de Macedo in 1486, claims that he introduced novel navigational instrumentation or served as a scientific expert are not supported by evidence from that period.
Construction of the Erdapfel
Returning to Nuremberg in 1490, Behaim secured municipal funding to build a terrestrial globe. The resulting 21-inch sphere, constructed from papier-mache and gypsum, was illustrated by artist Georg Glockendon. Finished in 1492, the globe featured over 2,000 place names and legends based largely on the geography of Ptolemy, combined with travel accounts from figures like Marco Polo and John Mandeville.
Historical Scrutiny
Later centuries saw the emergence of various claims regarding Behaim, including suggestions that he preceded Columbus in reaching the Americas or served as his mentor. Academic consensus rejects these narratives, noting a lack of documentary evidence. Behaim died in 1507 at the hospice of Saint Bartholomew in Lisbon while traveling for business.
Fast facts
- Born: 6 October 1459, Nuremberg
- Died: 29 July 1507, Lisbon
- Citizenship: Holy Roman Empire
- Notable work: Erdapfel
- Knighthood date: 18 February 1485
- Education: Grammar school in Nuremberg
- Primary occupations: Merchant, cartographer
Questions readers ask
Did Martin Behaim discover America before Columbus?
No. There is no historical evidence to support this claim, and it is widely rejected by modern historians.
What is the Erdapfel?
It is the world's oldest extant terrestrial globe, commissioned by the Nuremberg city council and completed by Behaim in 1492.
Achievements
- Recorded as explorer, cartographer and astronomer
