Image trimmed from Nicolaus Germanus's 1467 manuscript copy of a Latin translation of Ptolemy's Geography, showing the Golden Chersonese, which is the present Malay Peninsula. Credit: New York Public Library
THROUGHOUT history, geographers have attempted to draw maps of our immediate surroundings and beyond to help us in navigation.
The world as we know it today looked very different centuries ago, so it’s fascinating to see how ancient maps depicted it in a time before GPS and satellite imagery.
Is it true that the Malay Peninsula – what we now know as Peninsular Malaysia, southern Thailand and the southernmost tip of Myanmar – was known as the "Golden Chersonese," or the Golden Peninsula, to ancient Greeks and Romans?
Verdict:
TRUE
As far back as the 2nd century, during the time of the Roman empire, Alexandrian mathematician and astronomer Claudius Ptolemy wrote "Geography," a compilation of the geographical knowledge of the time.
It is considered one of the earliest written documents referring to the Malay Peninsula as the "Golden Peninsula."
It's widely believed that the Malay Peninsula was given the name as it was thought to have been rich in gold deposits.
The earliest references to this belief can be found in the classic Indian epic Ramayana, which talks of Suvarnabhumi, or "Land of Gold."
In the 17th century, Malay-Portuguese writer Godinho de Erédia also mentioned the existence of gold mines in Patani and Pahang in his writings.
In fact, there are still gold mining activities taking place in Peninsula Malaysia today, mainly in Pahang’s Penjom, Raub and Selinsing areas.
References:
1. https://www.jstor.org/stable/621273
