He was off by about 8, miles. Maps are a 10,year journey of humans trying to understand Earth. But to understand how we got here, look to these eight maps that tell the history of how we view the world. The oldest surviving world map depicts the worldview of Babylonians circa B. The 5-inch stone tablet is centered around Babylon, the wide rectangle, which straddles the Euphrates River, depicted by the crooked lines running from top to bottom.
Though its geography is limited, this map reveals the inherent bias of mapmakers to place themselves at the literal center of the world. Other early maps served more practical needs, such as the stick and shell charts built to denote currents around islands in the South Pacific over 2, years ago, or the Egyptian papyrus maps that led miners through the desert in the 12th century B.
But the Babylonian Map of the World is the earliest example of a political map used to champion a country or city. The Greeks were the first known culture to apply a scientific approach to measuring and mapping the world. The philosopher Pythagorus theorized as early as the 6th century B. And by B. Completed around A. Ptolemy explained map projections—depicting a globe on a flat plane. Yet his work disappeared with the fall of the Roman Empire, not reemerging for almost years.
Compiled over 15 years for King Roger II of Sicily—who hoped the map could inform and expand his rule—the book included a world map with 70 regional maps, each accompanied by a detailed description of their cities, roads, rivers, and mountains.
For the next three centuries, it was among the most accurate geographic works in existence of the known world. Though it was produced for a Norman king in Italy, the atlas was a culminating achievement from the Islamic Golden Age—while science took a sabbatical in most of Europe during the early middle ages. Islamic mapmakers also produced some of the most elaborate charts of the era, largely inspired by the need to determine the direction of Mecca from anywhere in the world.
Back in Europe, maps told a spiritual story instead of a geographic one. Much like how Babylon's ancient map gave a glimpse into their worldview, the medieval mappa mundi , or world maps, show how Western Christendom perceived the world. The Hereford Mappa Mundi , created around in England, is a fascinating peek into the medieval imagination.
Drawn on a huge piece of animal hide, it is the largest and most famous surviving world map from the middle ages. The top depicts the Day of Judgment, one of many biblical scenes inked onto map, while images of wild beasts and fantastical monsters lurk on the edges of the world, representing the dangers of the unknown.
First described in the 7th century, T-O maps usually put Jerusalem at the center of the world and were oriented with east at the top, considered the holiest direction and the location of the Garden of Eden. But that was about to change. Ancient sailors navigated the seas by keeping in sight of land and observing the sun and stars.
The trend towards accurate mapping increased even further during the 19th century and the Industrial Revolution. The invention of the railroad made travel faster, cheaper, and even more accessible. Leisure travel became popular among the middle class. As a byproduct, maps had to be smaller and more practical, so travelers could bring them on the journey. They also needed to be up-to-date in terms of roadways, railways, and transportation hubs.
This period also saw the emergence of thematic maps i. In the s, social reformer Charles Booth created a moral map of London that color-coded houses by income and criminal tendencies. His goal was to help inspire the poor by showing that geography was tied to destiny. Unfortunately, though not necessarily a surprise, his plan backfired. This long journey brings us to modern cartography. With the rise of digital technology, modern cartographers now use a plethora of hardware to collect data and do most of their work on a computer.
Satellites enable large-scale global imaging and the global positioning system GPS , which in turn enables location-based technologies like Google Maps or Google Earth. With GIS, users can design multi-layered maps, conduct deep data analysis, and even create 3D visualizations of cities, forests, and natural landmarks. In many ways, GIS is the pinnacle of modern map making , a stark example of just how far cartography has come.
Cartography has come a long way. From stone tablets and cave paintings, to massive satellite networks - humans have always used maps in an attempt to answer questions about our world. Even so, the technological advances are impressive and today's maps tell stories more truthfully than ever before.
Why OnePlace. The evolution of maps has taken a long and winding road. This post starts at the beginning, tracing the history of maps through the ages. Ancient Maps II. The Renaissance IV. Modern Cartography. This contained thousands of references and maps of various parts of the world — with longitude and latitude lines.
This system revolutionised European geographic thinking, by imposing mathematical rules to the composition of maps. Al-Idrisi map of the world, produced The original of this map no longer exists, this replica was produced in In Europe during this period, there was little progress in improving the science of mapping and geography. As most maps were produced within monasteries, religious zeal tended to dominate mapping. Also, in part as a religious statement but also for artistic reasons, maps drawn in this time were also heavily decorated.
The decoration often included angels and imaginary monsters. In the Islamic world, the study of the science of mapping and geography did progress. See About Projections for information about modern conventions.
In Europe, the Renaissance period brought a number of significant changes which hugely affected mapping:. This map of Australia is from the mids and it is typical of maps of this period. Features to note include: - Base map printed in a dark colour usually black or sepia - The addition of colour by hand painting it is interesting to note that, in haste, the artist painted the land as well as water areas around Adelaide. All these led to a massive expansion in geographic knowledge and mapping.
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