CARTOGRAPHY

History of Maps and

Cartography
Lecture 1
Maps
A graphic representation or scale model of spatial
concepts.
 A means for conveying geographic information.
 A universal medium for communication, easily
understood and appreciated by most people,
regardless of language or culture.
 A "snapshot" of an idea, a single picture, a selection
of concepts from a constantly changing database of
geographic information (Merriam 1996).

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Cartography
The term comes from two Greek words,
chartis, meaning map, and graphos, meaning
to draw or write.
The art and science of making maps.
Combining science, aesthetics, and technique,
it builds on the premise that reality can be
modeled in ways that communicate spatial
information effectively.
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The fundamental problems of
cartography are to:
Represent the terrain of the mapped object on
flat media. This is the concern of map
projections.
Set the map's agenda and select traits of the
object to be mapped. This is the concern of map
editing. Traits may be physical, such as roads or
land masses, or may be abstract, such as
toponyms or political boundaries.
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The fundamental problems of
cartography are to:
Eliminate characteristics of the mapped object
that are not relevant to the map's purpose. This
is the concern of generalization.
 Reduce the complexity of the characteristics that
will be mapped. This is also the concern of
generalization.
Orchestrate the elements of the map to best
convey its message to its audience. This is the
concern of map design.

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 EARLY MAPS
 Old maps provide much information about what was known in times past, as well as the
philosophy and cultural basis of the map, which were often much different from modern
cartography.
 Maps are one means by which scientists distribute their ideas and pass them on to future
generations (Merriam 1996).

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EARLY MAPS

Early world maps reflect the religious beliefs

of the form of the world.

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EARLY MAPS
The oldest known maps are preserved on
Babylonian clay tablets from about 2300 B.C.

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EARLY MAPS
 In around 6200 BC in Catal Hyük in Anatolia a wall
painting was made depicting the positions of the
streets and houses of the town together with
surrounding features such as the volcano close to the
town.
 The wall painting was discovered in 1963 near the
modern Ankara in Turkey.

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EARLY MAPS
Catal Hyük Map

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EARLY MAPS

Lecture No. 1
Caraga State University
College of Engineering and Information Technology
EARLY MAPS

Lecture No. 1
Caraga State University
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EARLY MAPS
 The concept of a spherical Earth was well known among
Greek philosophers by the time of Aristotle (ca. 350 B.C.)
and has been accepted by all geographers since. Greek
and Roman cartography reached a culmination with
Claudius Ptolemaeus (Ptolemy, about A.D. 85-165).
 His "world map" depicted the Old World from about
60°N to 30°S latitudes.
 He wrote a monumental work, Guide to Geography
(Geographike hyphygesis), which remained an
authorative reference on world geography until the
Renaissance.

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Ptolemy's map of the world, about A.D. 150,
republished in 1482. Notice the use of latitude
and longitude lines and the distinctive projection
of this map.
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 EARLY MAPS
Ptolemy's world
map, reconstituted
from Ptolemy's
Geography (circa
150) in the 15th
century, indicating
"Sinae" (China) at
the extreme right.

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
MEDIEVAL MAPS
During the Medieval period, European maps were
dominated by religious views. The T-O map was
common.
 The T and O map represents only the one half of the
spherical Earth. It was presumably considered a
convenient projection of known-inhabited parts, the
northern temperate half of the globe. Since the
southern temperate clime was considered uninhabited,
or unattainable, there was no need to depict them on a
world map.

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 MEDIEVAL MAPS

Ideal reconstruction of medieval world A "T-O" map made with modern

maps (from Meyers Konversationslexikon, cartography on the right)
1895) (Asia shown on the right)

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MEDIEVAL MAPS

Map centred on Delos according to Greek

From a 12th c. copy of tradition, from a French manuscript of
Etymologiae. Henry of Huntingdon, late 13th century

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MEDIEVAL MAPS
Mappa Mundi in La
Fleur des Histoires.
1459-1463.

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MEDIEVAL MAPS

Hereford Mappa Mundi, about 1300, Hereford

Cathedral, England. A classic "T-O" map with
Jerusalem at center and east toward the top.
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MEDIEVAL MAPS

Viking explorations in the North Atlantic

gradually were incorporated into the world
view beginning in the 12th century.
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MEDIEVAL MAPS

Northern regions map from S. Munster's Cosmographia (1588). North

Atlantic region is essentially a Viking view dating from the 12-14th
centuries. One of the last wood-engraved maps, done in the style of
copper-plate engraving. Published posthumously by H. Petri (son in law)
in Basle, Switzerland.
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MEDIEVAL MAPS
Meanwhile, cartography developed along more
practical and realistic lines in Arabic lands,
including the Mediterranean region. All maps were,
of course, drawn and illuminated by hand, which
made the distribution of maps extremely limited.

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RENAISSANCE MAPS
 The invention of printing made maps much more
widely available beginning in the 15th century.
 Maps were at first printed using carved wooden
blocks. Printing with engraved copper plates appeared
in the 16th century and continued to be the standard
until photographic techniques were developed.
 Major advances in cartography took place during the
Age of Exploration in the 15th and 16th centuries.

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RENAISSANCE MAPS
 Map makers responded with navigation charts, which
depicted coast lines, islands, rivers, harbors, and features
of sailing interest.
 Compass lines and other navigation aids were included
new map projections were devised, and globes were
constructed.
 Such maps were held in great value for economic,
military, and diplomatic purposes, and so were often
treated as national or commercial secrets--classified or
proprietary maps.

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 RENAISSANCE MAPS
 The first whole-world maps began to appear in the early 16th
century, following voyages by Columbus and others to the New
World. The first true world map is generally credited to Martin
Waldseemüller in 1507. This map utilized an expanded Ptolemaic
projection and was the first map to use the name America for the
New World--see Waldseemüller's world map.

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RENAISSANCE MAPS

Heart-shaped world map of Apian, 1530. A fully expanded

Ptolemaic projection of the world results in this heart-
shaped map. Popular during the Renaissance.
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RENAISSANCE MAPS
Gerardus Mercator of Flanders (Belgium)
was the leading cartographer of the mid-
16th century. He developed a cylindrical
projection that is still widely used for
navigation charts and global maps. He
published a map of the world in 1569
based on this projection. Many other map
projections were soon developed.

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RENAISSANCE MAPS

Nova Et Aucta Orbis Terrae Descriptio Ad Usum Navigantium emendate .

Gerard Mercator's famous world map, 1569
(first known use of the "Mercator projection" on a world map)

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RENAISSANCE MAPS

Septentrionalium terrarum description (polar), Gerard

Mercator, 1595
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RENAISSANCE MAPS

World map of Rosselli, 1508, the first map to show the entire globe. A
mythical southern continent is shown, and ocean areas are much too
small. Nonetheless, it is a true world map.
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RENAISSANCE MAPS

World map in Mercator projection by van Keulen, about 1720. The

ultimate map for navigation of the world, as first devised by
Mercator (1569). On this projection, all straight lines are true
bearings. This results in great size distortion toward the poles,
which cannot be shown.
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MODERN MAPS
Maps became increasingly accurate and factual
during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries with
the application of scientific methods.
Many countries undertook national mapping
programs. Nonetheless, much of the world was
poorly known until the widespread use of
aerial photography following World War I.
Modern cartography is based on a combination
of ground observations and remote sensing.

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MODERN MAPS

Map of the Danish Kingdom, 1629, by Janssonius. A high

level of geographic accuracy is demonstrated along with
marginal illustrations that enhance the map.
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MODERN MAPS
Geographic Information System
 Emerged in the 1970-80s period.
 GIS represents a major shift in the cartography paradigm.
 In traditional (paper) cartography, the map was both the
database and the display of geographic information.
 For GIS, the database, analysis, and display are physically and
conceptually separate aspects of handling geographic data.
 Geographic information systems comprise computer hardware,
software, digital data, people, organizations, and institutions
for collecting, storing, analyzing, and displaying georeferenced
information about the Earth (Nyerges 1993).

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LECTURE 1
History of Maps and Cartography

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