Maps in the Human History
The map is one of the oldest forms of nonverbal communication. Humans were probably drawing maps before they were writing texts
Are maps realistic representations of the actual world? No--never! Field measurements are subject to errors of accuracy and precision.A map can display only a few selected features, which are portrayed usually in highly symbolic styles according to some kind of classification scheme. In these ways, all maps are estimations, generalizations, and interpretations of true geographic conditions.
As far as historians and geographers can determine, every culture in every part of the world uses and makes maps. This deep lineage reflects the descriptive usefulness of a map—a map is one of the best proofs that a “picture is worth a thousand words.”
The variety of roles that maps play is astonishing. While one map might provide a simple portrait of place and a record of the contemporary landscape, another will be intentionally designed as a commercial census of the people and resources of a place. Yet another offers a glimpse into the fanciful imagination or the great artistry of the mapmaker. Sometimes a single map offers all these insights at once. To look at a historical map is to step into the past; to look at an old map is also to see the world as it would have been seen by the elites, the government, the military, or the navigators of the day.
Man has mapped the heavens from the first moment he turned his gaze upward towards the celestial sphere. There, in the unfathomable vastness of space, he found both gods and devils, truth and mystery. Upon the starry sky, and its uncounted denizens -stars, comets, moons and planets- man imprinted his greatest hopes hates and fears. The skies he peopled with his memories and his wildest imaginings. Now, as modern science has broken the barrier of the firmament and taken us even unto the moon, we reach our aspirations ever higher and farther, into the unknown realms that mapmakers populated with dreams…
Antique Map Gallery
The map is one of the oldest forms of nonverbal communication. Humans were probably drawing maps before they were writing textsA map is a graphic representation or scale model of spatial concepts. It is a means for conveying geographic information. Maps are a universal medium for communication, easily understood and appreciated by most people, regardless of language or culture.
Are maps realistic representations of the actual world? No--never! Field measurements are subject to errors of accuracy and precision.A map can display only a few selected features, which are portrayed usually in highly symbolic styles according to some kind of classification scheme. In these ways, all maps are estimations, generalizations, and interpretations of true geographic conditions.As far as historians and geographers can determine, every culture in every part of the world uses and makes maps. This deep lineage reflects the descriptive usefulness of a map—a map is one of the best proofs that a “picture is worth a thousand words.”
The variety of roles that maps play is astonishing. While one map might provide a simple portrait of place and a record of the contemporary landscape, another will be intentionally designed as a commercial census of the people and resources of a place. Yet another offers a glimpse into the fanciful imagination or the great artistry of the mapmaker. Sometimes a single map offers all these insights at once. To look at a historical map is to step into the past; to look at an old map is also to see the world as it would have been seen by the elites, the government, the military, or the navigators of the day. 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. The quest to map the world represents the quest to map the soul, to discover and explore the very limits of human potential.
Man has mapped the heavens from the first moment he turned his gaze upward towards the celestial sphere. There, in the unfathomable vastness of space, he found both gods and devils, truth and mystery. Upon the starry sky, and its uncounted denizens -stars, comets, moons and planets- man imprinted his greatest hopes hates and fears. The skies he peopled with his memories and his wildest imaginings. Now, as modern science has broken the barrier of the firmament and taken us even unto the moon, we reach our aspirations ever higher and farther, into the unknown realms that mapmakers populated with dreams…Cartography is the art and science of making maps. The oldest known maps are preserved on Babylonian clay tablets from about 2300 B.C.In the great age of numbers and statistics following the Enlightenment (17th – 19th Centuries) men of learning and distinction saw, through the compilation of all human knowledge, a road unto heaven itself. The composition of an accurate world map was one of great way-stations on this noble progression.
Europe, the beating heart and soul of western civilization, home to the great ancient empires of 
Greece and Rome, and home of the nomadic invaders that destroyed them. Here, the socio-cultural background developed that would eventually birth modern science, and send its navigators to the four corners of the Earth in search of new lands, treasures and peoples. During the period when many of our maps were designed, European powers stood astride the world like colossuses, and it is through these eyes that the cartographers gazed…
Greece and Rome, and home of the nomadic invaders that destroyed them. Here, the socio-cultural background developed that would eventually birth modern science, and send its navigators to the four corners of the Earth in search of new lands, treasures and peoples. During the period when many of our maps were designed, European powers stood astride the world like colossuses, and it is through these eyes that the cartographers gazed…Antique Map Gallery
I just happend to find this interesting site Geographicus who have large collection of fine and rare antiquarian cartography and historic maps of the 15th though 19th centuries. A large inventory of authentic antique maps are available here in thier online gallery for study and enjoyment. Geographicus Rare Antique Maps, are passionate collectors and students of historic maps as well as dealers. As you browse our online gallery of rare maps you will enjoy some of the highest resolution images and most thoroughly researched studies of thier individual offerings available anywhere.
What could be a better gift for any historian, traveler, or patriot than a magnificent map of their favorite place, from their favorite era?. Antique Maps are great gifts and perfect decorative additions to any home or office. They are compelling objects that instantly grab people’s attention and transport them to a different time and place.
Visit Geographicus for Rare Antique Maps
Visit Geographicus for Rare Antique Maps
