Cartography is popular as the visual representations of geography. It has progressed over the ages, reflecting how we understand our place on Earth better and explore it further in great detail. The evolution of map-making is a captivating story. It is spanning from the earliest representations of the shape of our planet through ancient civilizations to high-tech and satellite-driven modern maps. Let’s highlight the evolution of map-making by taking a look at some of the most famous maps ever created.
The Prehistoric Era: Early Maps and Depictions
The process of making maps began in the prehistoric period with humans first starting to symbolize their world using signs and marks. Surviving maps from this period are non-existent. But the evidence indicates that primitive human cultures used very basic pictures to help with navigation and possibly hunting & surrounding knowledge.
The “Shapur” map, a 3rd-century illustration discovered on a rock in Iran that depicted locations of cities and rivers, is one of the oldest examples of the map. The first maps may have been little more than carved Roman stones. It has images scratched into animal hide covering. Its main purpose was to specify movement rather than give a complete geographical overview.
The Ancient Civilizations: The Birth of Cartography
This period witnessed the dawn of cartography thanks to ancient civilizations, where man was starting to map what he knew about his world. From Ancient Egypt to Babylon via Greece, map-playing is an inalienable component of administration, trade and exploration. The Babylonian Map of the World dating from the 6th century BC, is one of the oldest known maps of its kind. It shows the Babylonian worldview. This includes rivers and seas and territories surrounding them.
Cartography jumped ahead by leaps and bounds in Ancient Greece, with Anaximander even being credited for one of the first Greek maps across the planet. A Ptolemy was the most famous early Greek map-maker. His Geographia, written around 150 CE is all about treatise on geography that would affect map-making for centuries. Ptolemy’s maps were a grid system over laid with latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates, the basis of modern historical cartography.
The Middle Ages: Religious Influence and Medieval Maps
Medieval maps were shaped mainly by religious viewpoint. It was depicting the Earth as a flat disc at the center of the universe. Mappa mundi are perhaps the most well-known of medieval maps. They are the large scale maps that reflect a Christian outlook on the world. A significant example is the Hereford Map, a medieval world map from early 14th century. Even in the Middle Ages, more detailed maps of regions were being produced, such as Al-Idrisi’s 12th-century Tabula Rogeriana. Pointing to one of the most accurate representations of this period, Dixon explains that it shows a number of places in unprecedented detail.
The Age of Enlightenment: The Birth of Modern Cartography
The 17th and 18th centuries saw the rise of scientific thought. Map-making soon became more accurate with the development of scientific instruments like the sextant and the chronometer. At this time, Gerardus Mercator of Flanders was launching a new way to make maps, known as the Mercator projection (1569). The Mercator projection displayed the land of Earth in a flat map. It kept angles accurate and simple.
Few maps of the Enlightenment period were as important as Jean-Baptiste d’Anville’s mid-18th century map of China. Based on actual surveys, this was the first accurate map of the region according to scientific principles and symbolic in nature.
The 19th and 20th Centuries: The Rise of Topographic and Thematic Mapping
The advances in map-making continued from the mid-19th century, with topographic and thematic maps emerging in this period. Topographic vintage maps became significant from military, engineering and civil point of views. The British Ordnance Survey was founded in 1791 to complete detailed topographic surveys, the maps of which later became the standard for countries worldwide.
Also, thematic maps became the popular one during this time. They were highlighting specific themes such as climate, population, or economic activity. John Snow– cholera map of London in 1854 is a perfect example of thematic map. Famous for being one of the first examples of maps used for public health, Snow’s map is credited with helping to identify the source of the outbreak.
Discover the World Through Timeless Beauty of Neatline Maps
Uncover the beauty of history with Neatline Maps! Our curated collection of vintage maps brings the world’s journey to life, offering unique pieces that capture places, cultures, and moments in time. Decorate your space with history and explore the artistry of cartography, where every map tells a story.