Maps Beginnings
The first maps were probably
drawn in the sand with sticks,by cavemen.There are actually 57 known
stone age maps,drawn on rocks,hides or earthenware. In museums around
the world.
One of The oldest maps ever
found by modern archaeologists is a wall painting, measuring 9 ft (205
cm) wide in Catalhoyuk, Anatolia. This wall painting shows a town plan
with 80 buildings and dates from 6100-6300 BC.
In ancient times (AD 150) Claudius Ptolemy of Alexandria, created his
"Geographia" in 8 volumes. It contained maps of the known world at that time.
These volumes were mostly lost in fall of Alexandria but some copies
made it to other countries and still exist in Arabic and Egyptian
exhibits.
After the decline of the Roman Empire the world became "flat"
Maps of those times are called "T-O"
maps, which were drawn by monks with Jerusalem as the center of
the universe.
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This was the image of the world for many people
throughout the middle ages.
But times changed with the crusades and now more ornate maps were being carved on
wooden blocks or etched on copper plates, then placed on fabric or
paper by a rubbing technique, which was then hand colored.
Various designs signify what age the map comes from. Dragons and
sea monsters from the 16th century, large ships from the 17th
century and in the 18th century names and lines . The dragons were
replaced by the saying "Here be
dragons" on the uncharted edges
of the maps, meaning dangerous and unexplored areas.
Modern Cartographers can
thank the Arab geographers and librarians of the era for saving the
works of the Greeks and Romans which helped exploration during the
Renaissance and advanced map making into what we have today.
Modern maps are
forever changing. Getting more accurate with the advent of
satellite mapping. We can even
get animated and talking maps as well as call a map up on our cell phone.
But none can compare with the artistic beauty of antique maps.
Resources for this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_cartography
http://aboutgeography.com
http://www.imcos.org/
http://www.phil.uni-passau.de/histhw/tutcarto/english/index-frames-en.html
http://www.sha.org/
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