Edutainment > Collecting Old Maps

The Origins of Maps

The earliest known world maps date from the 6th century BC created by a Greek named Anaximander. In the second century BC, another Greek, Eratosthenes, created a map showing the world as far as England, North Africa and India.

Maybe maps were in use much earlier in China. Archaeologists found maps drawn on silk dating back to 250 BC.

The scholar Claudius Ptolemaeus (Ptolemy) in Alexandria, Egypt, had created a series of maps around 150 AD. His maps were the first known to use conic projections. A few of his maps were saved by Arabian scholars and were rediscovered and reprinted in Europe in the 15th century. Ptolomy's maps show large parts of Europe, the Mediterranean Sea with Northern Africa and large parts of Asia with an astonishing accuracy.

During the dark Middle Ages, map making came to a standstill in Europe. At the same time, science flourished in the Arabian world. Arabian seamen used accurate sea charts. In 1154 an Arabian geographer, Al-Idrisi, had made a world map.

Maps in the 15th and 16th Century

From a map by A. Ortelius

The necessity for maps emerged in the Renaissance. Traveling became a widespread habit due to an increase in trade relations across regional borders. And thus grew the demand for maps.

At the same time, measuring instruments and printing techniques were improved. The invention of the moveable type around the year 1450 revolutionized the printing process. Before, books and maps were produced and copied by monks in cloisters. They drew them by hand.

In 1507, only a few years after the discovery of the American continent by Europeans, Martin Waldseemüller, a German cartographer published a world map. It consisted of 12 separate panels and showed the newly discovered continent.

Orleans in France by Georg Braun

In 1570, Abraham Ortelius, a Flemish cartographer, born in Antwerp, published the first world atlas, Theatrum Orbis Terrarum with 70 maps. It was so successful that it was later published in 36 editions and in 7 languages (Latin, German, Dutch, French, Spanish, English and Italian).

Nearly all early maps were produced as bound books, called atlases. Later, when maps became a coveted subject for collectors, they were separated into single pages by smart antiquarian dealers.

Continue with Collecting Historical Maps part two.

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