A rare 350-year-old map of Australia, one of just two left in the world, has been discovered and put on display for the first time.
The 17th-century map, Archipelagus Orientalis (Eastern Archipelago), created by famous cartographer Joan Blaeu in 1659 was uncovered in 2010 in Sweden.
An Antiquarian bookseller is believed to have owned a pile of maps and books and after going out of business in the 1950s the treasure was buried away.
When the map was discovered again in 2010, the owners were not aware of the map's rarity. They only realised when it went for sale at auction.
"I think someone stumbled onto treasure," Martin Woods, Curator of Maps at the National Library of Australia, was quoted as saying by news.com.au.
The identity of the seller has not been made clear. After a number of years in restoration, the map is on display in the Library's Treasures Gallery until mid next year.
It is believed to be only one of two known surviving copies. The National Library of Australia acquired it in 2013 for a whopping price of about 600,000 dollars.
At the time of its creation, the map was the most current reflection of Australia.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
