Cartography's History Timeline

Ancient Views of Earth

The earliest form of a map

ever found were those belonging

to the ancient Babylonians.

Ancient versions of cartography were

found on clay tablets in 23000 BC.

The Ancient Greeks believed in maps being a very advanced idea. Philosophers began the most famous idea that the Earth is spherical. This was a ginormous step in cartography and supported by all ever since.

Ptolemy, during the Roman Empire, made a

"world map." It actually was the Earth from

30 degrees South to sixty degrees North. He also wrote a book called "Guide to Geography." His book was commonly referred to by many geographers until the Renaissance period.

Medieval Maps

During the middle ages, religion dominated.

This was a slow point in cartography because most maps were religion based. The product is now known as a T-O map. This was a circle with Jerusalem in the estimated center and the rest of the world came next. They often weren't very detailed and since maps were still typed by hand, they weren't very common anyway.

During the times when the vikings invaded, Europeans added additional land which was gradually included to represent the Viking's land, which became northern Europe.

The Vikings also made versions of their own maps that were pretty detailed.

Arabic and Mediterranean areas began to gradually perfect their versions of cartography.

Renaissance maps

During the Renaissance, the invention of printing revolutionized cartography until the invention of photographs. Maps were made out of cheap wooden blocks. It made maps more common and popular.

Everyone could have maps!!!

The discovery of America

by Christopher Columbus

had all of Europe's nations

rushing to map the new

world.

Sebastian Munster set the new global standard for cartography

with his book Geographia. He was one of the most important map

makers of this time.

During the age of exploration (the 15th through 16thcenturies), major changes occured in maps, particularly for who was using them. Maps for sailors added: navigator's charts, coastline depictions

of rivers, islands, harbors, etc. Compass lines, map keys, and all sorts of navigational details were created during this period. Maps were cheap and easily accessable.

Globes were starting to be developed due to new mapmaking (almost photographic like) techniques.

Modern Maps

Globes

Globes came later in history but often were quite valued as a high standard for economic, military, and other purposes. Starting after Columbus' voyage, the world map of the globe started to form in this period.

Throughout the 19th-20th centuries,

many countries took natural mapping programs and had a common map of each area and the world.

WWI and WWII caused a slow point in cartography due to the constant change of borders in Europe.

thanks to maps.

The world has come a long way

Cartography's History Timeline

by Matthew Pusic

Sattelite Imagery

Globes

Using sattelites from space to take pictures, we can now have a very acurate base for maps and globes.

Evolution

What started as a track of canals on a clay tablet in Babylonia has come a long way since. In the Twentieth century many inventions contributed to the wonderful technology of cartography we have today: remote sensing, sattelite viewing, arial footage and so much more. This has contributed to more advances in cartography in the past 1oo years than ever before.

Globes came later in history but often were quite valued as a high standard for economic, military, and other purposes. Starting after Columbus' voyage, the world map of the globe started to form.

Globes truly didn't start making accurate progress until after WWI, when arial photography was invented.

Now made by printing on spherical cardboard, the globe is a popular commodity in homes and schools everywhere.