More of this Feature • Part 2: The Atlanteans • Part 3: Buache and the Europeans From Other Guides • Modern Antarctica Elsewhere On The Web • Charting Imaginary Worlds

Philippe Buache's map of 1739 has been cited in books and journals from the past forty years as evidence of an ancient civilisation that mapped Antarctica - when it was free of ice. Unfortunately, these claims are deeply flawed, and the Buache map is actually a part of European attempts to understand the continent. Your guide will firstly examine the use of Buache's map, and briefly discuss the issue of sub-glacial topography, which, although not related to our European subject matter, is necessary. Secondly, I will examine Buache's map in isolation, as most of the recent 'lost civilisation' texts have presented it, before discussing the real context: Buache's life, and 18th century exploration.

Please note: All quotations from the map have been translated from the French by Gian Quasar, whose work is to presented at Bermuda Triangle.org.

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For Citation And Footnotes
Title: A Corruption of European History - Buache's Map of 1739
Author: Robert Wilde
Date: 2001