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Dave's Mythical Creatures and Places |
Styles of Old Maps
Old maps came in several different styles:
Ptolemaic- this was the style used by the
early Greek geographer Claudius Ptolemy (born circa 100 A.D.) in his book
Geographica, based on earlier work by Marinus of Tyre. In the
book, he gave coordinates for 8000 places, contributing to the system of
latitude and longitude used today. The coordinates were made onto a conical
projection. Both Marinus and
Ptolemy underestimated the size of the earth,
and overestimated the size of China, contributing to the notion of reaching
China by sailing west on the Atlantic. Ptolemy's works were rediscovered
in the middle ages, and the first printed Ptolemaic map was the Ulm map of 1482-
no earlier maps are known to survive.
Portolan- these were maps
used mainly by sailors. 
They have distinctive wind roses on them,
which give compass bearings and sailing instructions. The first known
portolan map, the Carte Pisano,was made about 1275. Typically,
these maps focus on the seas, ports, coves, and sailing distances, not the
interior features of land because they are designed primarily for sea
navigation. Place names usually appear perpendicular to the coast. This
one shows Ceylon off the coast of India.
T-O maps- sometimes called Mappa mundi, these were medieval maps of the
world. 
They were
highly symbolic, and were meant to convey knowledge of different parts of the
world, and generally include biblical references and
mythical creatures. They are typically oriented with East at the top,
often with a picture of Eden or Adam & Eve on top. Jerusalem is at the
center of the map. The continent of Asia is on
top, Africa on the right, and Europe on the left. This was based on the
theory that the 3 races of man had descended from the 3 sons of Noah- Shem, Ham
and Japheth. The races were Semetic, Hamitic and Japhetic, and were distributed
thus: Semitic- Asia; Hamitic- Africa; Japhetic- Europe.
See T-O Map diagram.
For more on old Maps, visit the James Ford Bell Library website.
