What did sailors call the Atlantic ocean before Christopher Columbus?

Answer 1

According to the Greek mythology the word Atlantic means the "Sea of Atlas" and therefore derives the name from it. The earliest mention of this Ocean can be traced back to 450BC in "The Histories" by Greek historian Herodotus, other ancient Greek historians Diodorus and Palaephatus mentions of Gorgons living in the Island of Gorgades located in the Aethiopian Sea. Classical geographical works till the 19th Century relates the name Aethiopian with the Southern part of the Atlantic Ocean.

As Mapped in the 16th century map, the Northern Atlantic Ocean is named Sinus Occidentalis, Central Atlantic as Sinus Atlanticus and the Southern Atlantic as Mare Aethiopicum.

Atlas Maritimus or the Sea-Atlas, a map created by John Thornton divides the Atlantic into 2 parts calling the North portion as "Mar del Nort" and the South part as "Oceanus Ethiopicus". Mathematician Edward Wright didn't name the Northern part but named the Southern part as the "Aethiopian Sea".

Answer 2

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