What maps showed a connection between China and Europe? Did Columbus have access to Marco Polo's Silk Road maps?

There are several ancient maps that show a connection between China and Europe previous to 1492. Claudius Ptolemy's 2nd. Century map of the ancient world shows a detailed connection between China and Europe.

During this time the concept of scale was introduced.

We can clearly see in this map the scale dimensional lines and the distinctive forms of Europe, the Mediterranean, North of Africa, Middle East, Arabic peninsula, Asia, India, Ceylon (indicated as "Indicum Pelagus" or Indian Archipelago), Malaya, the Maldives, the Indian Ocean (here depicted as "Prasodis Mare") and China on the far right (depicted as Sina). It also shows with full detail geographical landmarks like the Danube, Nile, Euphrates, Indus and Ganges rivers, also the Caspian Sea, the Ural mountains and the Another map from the Ptolemaic period around 200 A.D.This one was published in Strasbourg, Germany, in 1513, but it was previously discovered in Constantinople, Turkey, in the year 1400, during the last age of the Byzantine Empire.

This map its also a clear example of the ancient commerce between Europe an China, it depicts with great detail most of the geographical landmarks like mountain ranges all the way to Asia, as well as cartographic lines and the inclusion of the Southamerican coast of Brazil, that was added at the time of publication. Here, another version of the same map, it was supposedly the source of all knowledge on geography in Europe, up into the middle Ages. The Osma Beatus Medieval World Map, also believed to come originally from the Ptolemaic period.

The Mediterranean, Egypt, Palestine, the Red Sea, Euphrates River and Asia are clearly distinctive here.

I doubt Cristoforo Colombo had access to any of Marco Polo maps (if such maps ever existed), besides, what kind of use that type of map will give to a sea captain? Except for the story tale of Marco Polo´s land trip and the knowledge that indeed there was a place called China, and a mystique island called Cipango (Japan) to the East, the only thing that Colombo needed was the knowledge of sail navigation, because that was his chosen route, not land.

I also believe Colombo didn´t accidentally discovered America, he already knew America was there, the problem was that he miscalculated the distance, and up until his death he always believed Cuba and Dominican Republic were the mythical island of Cipango (Japan), the rest of the Central and Southamerican Caribbean Coast was the shore of China (because he wasn´t unable to rounded it), therefore, it was "the Asian continent" and in his mind he has just "circumnavigated the globe and arrived there going to the west.

There are several ancient maps that show a connection between China and Europe previous to 1492. Claudius Ptolemy's 2nd. Century map of the ancient world shows a detailed connection between China and Europe.

During this time the concept of scale was introduced.

We can clearly see in this map the scale dimensional lines and the distinctive forms of Europe, the Mediterranean, North of Africa, Middle East, Arabic peninsula, Asia, India, Ceylon (indicated as "Indicum Pelagus" or Indian Archipelago), Malaya, the Maldives, the Indian Ocean (here depicted as "Prasodis Mare") and China on the far right (depicted as Sina). It also shows with full detail geographical landmarks like the Danube, Nile, Euphrates, Indus and Ganges rivers, also the Caspian Sea, the Ural mountains and the Another map from the Ptolemaic period around 200 A.D.This one was published in Strasbourg, Germany, in 1513, but it was previously discovered in Constantinople, Turkey, in the year 1400, during the last age of the Byzantine Empire.

This map its also a clear example of the ancient commerce between Europe an China, it depicts with great detail most of the geographical landmarks like mountain ranges all the way to Asia, as well as cartographic lines and the inclusion of the Southamerican coast of Brazil, that was added at the time of publication. Here, another version of the same map, it was supposedly the source of all knowledge on geography in Europe, up into the middle Ages. The Osma Beatus Medieval World Map, also believed to come originally from the Ptolemaic period.

The Mediterranean, Egypt, Palestine, the Red Sea, Euphrates River and Asia are clearly distinctive here.

I doubt Cristoforo Colombo had access to any of Marco Polo maps (if such maps ever existed), besides, what kind of use that type of map will give to a sea captain? Except for the story tale of Marco Polo´s land trip and the knowledge that indeed there was a place called China, and a mystique island called Cipango (Japan) to the East, the only thing that Colombo needed was the knowledge of sail navigation, because that was his chosen route, not land.

I also believe Colombo didn´t accidentally discovered America, he already knew America was there, the problem was that he miscalculated the distance, and up until his death he always believed Cuba and Dominican Republic were the mythical island of Cipango (Japan), the rest of the Central and Southamerican Caribbean Coast was the shore of China (because he wasn´t unable to rounded it), therefore, it was "the Asian continent" and in his mind he has just "circumnavigated the globe and arrived there going to the west".

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.