| Maps have been around for dozens of centuries. | | | | however, were usually ahead of the world with their |
| It’s rather mind-boggling to think about how our | | | | map-making capabilities. They had developed |
| ancestors were so accurate in their depictions. It is | | | | advanced map-making capabilities during the time of |
| only proof that humans have always been intelligent | | | | Ancient Rome. By the time the rest of Asia, Europe |
| and resourceful. The earliest drawn map ever | | | | and the Middle East caught up, the Chinese already |
| discovered dates back to the ancient Babylonians. | | | | had many maps drawn with considerable detail. |
| It’s sometimes referred to as “the world’s | | | | When the continents began trading with one another, |
| first map”, and it was discovered in modern Iraq in | | | | Chinese maps would often come in handy. |
| 1930. It’s estimated to be nearly 3,000 years old! | | | | Although many of the earliest antique world maps |
| Since then, cultures from around the world began | | | | were drawn flat, round world maps have been made |
| drawing maps. As the centuries passed, maps | | | | for centuries. One of the earliest world globes is the |
| became larger and more detailed. Sometimes historic | | | | Martin Behaim Globe, which was produced in 1492. |
| maps had strange things drawn on them, such as | | | | North and South America were not shown on it, since |
| unidentified objects in the sky, “creatures” in the | | | | its completion was done before Christopher |
| sea, and even land masses that were never known to | | | | Columbus’s fated journey. |
| exist. Were the ancients just using their imaginations, | | | | Thanks to modern technology, we can now recreate |
| or did they know things about the world that we can | | | | historic maps in great detail. Replicas of historic maps |
| only guess at? | | | | are now made and sold. Some collectors even go |
| Historic maps, for the most part, only depicted three | | | | so far as to buy antique world maps themselves — |
| continents at the most: Europe, Asia, and Africa. | | | | the real things! Our fascination with maps has lasted |
| Sometimes Jerusalem would be drawn exactly in the | | | | for dozens of centuries, and because of our curious |
| center. The middle ages was a time for Christian | | | | nature, we’ll continue making maps and globes for |
| maps, Anglo-Saxon maps, Indian maps, Arabic maps, | | | | centuries to come. |
| Native American tribal maps, etc. The Chinese, | | | | |