Zeno map

The Zeno map is a map of the North Atlantic, which was first published in 1558 in Venice by Nicolo Zeno, the same descendants of the Zeno brothers.

Nicolo Zeno published the map along with a series of letters, which he had allegedly discovered in a storage room of his home in Venice. According to Zeno dated the card and the letters around the year 1400 and described a journey that had taken the Zeno brothers in the 1390er years under the leadership of a prince named Zichmni. They had crossed the North Atlantic and reached North America.

Today, most historians assume that it is the card and the letters were forgeries, written by the younger Nicolo to subsequently to claim the discovery of America for Venice.

This is supported by some non-existent islands, which are marked on the map. One of these islands is the phantom island Frisland on which the Zeno had allegedly stopped some time.

Today it is believed that the map was based on several earlier maps of the 16th century, and in particular:

• The Carta marina by Olaus Magnus,
• The Caerte van Oostland by Cornelis Anthoniszoon and
• On maps of Claudius Clavus type.