Historical Maps From Around the World

Historical Maps provide us with a graphical representation of Past Events. Historical Maps also help us know how the World looked during various periods. The Historical Maps became accurate only during the 15th to 18th Century; this phase is also called the Discovery Phase. During the Hellenistic Period, World Maps assuming the Earth to be spherical came into being. The Oldest Historical Map to be known is the “Imago Mundi”, also called the Babylonian Map. This Historical Map is on display in the British Museum in London, the UK.

What Are Some of the Oldest Known Historical Maps?

Historical Maps during Ancient Times

• The Imago Mundi – This Historical Map is the oldest known map and is said to be dated around the 6th Century BC. It shows Babylon in the Centre, surrounded by Circular landmasses, and a Bitter River surrounding several cities. There are eight outlying areas called The Nagu arranged around Triangles, thus forming a star shape. This is the oldest accurate map known in history.
• Hecataeus of Miletus – Hecataeus of Miletus was the author of Periodos Ges, translated into “Travels around the Earth or World Survey”. This work of Hecataeus exists in only 374 fragments. The Historical Map was divided into two books, the first on Europe and the second on Asia, including Africa.  
• Ptolemy’s World Map – The Ptolemy World Map was known to Greco-Roman societies during the 2nd Century. The most striking feature was the use of longitudinal and latitudinal lines. Ptolemy’s World Map was the first to specify terrestrial locations by celestial observations. Ptolemy’s Geography was translated from Greek to Arabic in the 9th Century. 

Historical Maps During the Middle Ages

• Cosmas Indicopleustes’ Maps – Indicopleustes means Indian Voyager. From the ancient text, it is understood that there used to be trading between India and The Roman Empire. Cosmas was a report made by one of the Voyagers. The Christian Topography was the work of Cosmas Indicopleustes and contained several maps. It was of the view that the World was flat and that the Heavens formed the shape like a box with a curved lid. He was against the belief that the Earth is spherical. However, his view of the World being Flat was not quite famous among the other Educated Westerners, nor was he influential in the religious circles.
• Isidore of Seville’s T and O Map – The T and O map represents only the top half of the spherical Earth. The T is the Mediterranean, and the O is the surrounding Ocean. The map has Jerusalem in its centre. The T or the Mediterranean divides the three continents Asia, Europe, and Africa. Asia was situated on the top of the map. The T and O Map is also called the Isidora Map. The T and O Map is a Historical Map representing the physical map described by the Scholar Isidore of Sevilla. 
• Albi Mappa Mundi – This Historical Map is 27cm high and 22.5 cm wide. It belonged to the Mediaeval Age and was included in a manuscript of the second half of the 8th Century. This Manuscript contains 77 pages and 22 documents with an education function. This Historical Map represents 23 Countries on 3 Continents and mentions several cities.

Historical Maps after 1942 

• Juan De Las Cosa Maps – Juan De Las Cosa was a Spanish Cartographer. He made several maps out of the maps; the only surviving map is the Mappa Mundi of 1500. This map is understood to be the first representation of the Americas and the first map that depicts the Tropic of Cancer and the Equator. Also, this Historical Map is the only cartographic work of an eyewitness of the first voyage of Christopher Columbus. 
• Mercator World Map – This Map is named after Gerardus Mercator, made in 1569. This map, for the first time, cylindrical map projection, became the Standard Map Projection. It was printed in eighteen different sheets and measured 202 by 124 cm.
• Samuel Dunn’s Map of the World – Samuel Dunn’s Map covered the Entire Earth as a Double Hemisphere projection. This map is followed shortly by Captain Cook’s Exploration of the Arctic and Northwest Pacific.

Conclusion 

The Historical Maps provide records of the landscape features, cities, places, rivers, lakes, and important places and help us know about important trade points of the past. They can also be used to restructure the past. However, we should also remember that Historical Maps are partial and particular, and they are not Descriptive but rather more Objective in Nature. They are also useful for understanding the place’s culture when such maps were made.