Testing 

what is this 

Babylonian Writing

Map part of the artifact

The Mediterranean Sea

This area is supposed to be the land that existed before the biblical Great Flood, existing beyond the great ocean.

This area is supposed to be Paradise, that being the Terrestrial Paradise of Eden. Like all other land beyond the ocean, it exists beyond the great ocean.

The river is supposedly the river Gihon, mentioned in the Book of Genesis as one of the four rivers (along with the mythical Phison and the real Euphrates and Tigris) that flowed from Eden. This map has the river Gihon's terminus at the great ocean line up with the Nile's supposed southern terminus at the great ocean.

This is the mythical river Phison, that is drawn to flow into the Persian Sea, of which the Tigris and Euphrates flows out of.

Georgia

Africa

dot 

This is the Northern Egyptian city of Alexandria

This is the northern Egyptian city of Alexandria

The text of the map is in an Ancient Egyptian script, likely heretic script.

Red boxes surround the names of settlements and illustrations of castles indicate greater size and the presence of fortifications as in the case of London.

Founding Site of Vatican City?

Senate?

Or what's the story behind "America" being shown for the first time on this 1507 map? And you find that it's because Columbus had insisted he had found the East Indies.

 

 

 

Sources: LOC | LOC Blog | Time.com

…while Amerigo Vespucci said he had discovered a new land.

The 1482 map is based on a book called Geography written by Ptolemy in 170AD, pictured here in the 1507 map we saw a few minutes ago, along with a small version of the 1482 map.

Or, "What kind of map is this?" And you find it is a mappa mundi from the 13th century, a map of both faith and place. You can see Jesus on top and Adam and Eve on the bottom.

 

 

source: myoldmaps

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

perplexity | 

From the late 13th century, this is the Psalter Map, because it was found a Psalter, which is book of psalms. This map is called a mappa mundi, which historian Felicitas Schmieder refers to as "Geographies of Salvation" as they report the narrative of Christ's interaction with our world. The map includes Jerusalem, the Garden of Eden, the Red Sea, the Dead Sea, Gog and Magog, as well as a section of monstrous races.

The Psalter Map is a one of the most famous examples of a midieval mappa mundi. It was likely part of a psalm or prayer book. I love it because it is only marginally geographic and instead speaks to symbols of faith and fear. It has Jerusalem in the center and the Garden of Eden. It also a section on the right of fantastic beasts from other lands. 

“The Psalter map is an English map from the thirteenth century that includes much information within it's small area Like many medieval maps, this world map subjectively presents Jerusalem, as enlarged and at the center, as Jesus overlooks the world. The map also contains many indicators of the materiality of the Middle Ages, including buildings, boats, "monstrous" human races (along the right-hand side) and the wind. Thus, the map acts as a record of how people experienced the world during this time period.” History Fine Prints (on etsy)

“Psalter World Map is the name historiography gave to a medieval world map that has been found in a psalter. This mappa mundi is now conserved at the British Library in London. The small map (c. 9.5 cm or 3.7 in high) shows a lot of detail. It was written around 1260; the author is unknown. According to historian Anna-Dorothee von den Brincken, it looks like a small version of the Ebstorf Map from Northern Germany. It is a typical mappa mundi that does not only show the geographical and historical knowledge, but also puts it into the frame of salvation history. Jesus Christ appears in the East (i.e. "above"), as the maps of Christian Middle Ages have East above, not North, giving a blessing with his right hand.” wikipedia

“A psalter is a volume containing the Book of Psalms, often with other devotional material bound in as well, such as a liturgical calendar and litany of the Saints. Until the later medieval emergence of the book of hours, psalters were the books most widely owned by wealthy lay persons and were commonly used for learning to read. Many Psalters were richly illuminated and they include some of the most spectacular surviving examples of medieval book art.” wikipedia

http://sims.digitalmappa.org/workspace/#965fe731
 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psalter_world_map
 

Gog and Magog

But with a little digging, you find the secret decoder map that tells you that this map also shows the known world in the 13th century.

 

source: myoldmaps.com, Jim Siebold

Gog and Magog

The cartouche in the top left corner of the map contains the title: "An Older Map of Belgium from the Geographical Undertakings of Abraham Ortelius." Additionally, there are explanations for how the various typefaces are used. The man named in the title, Abraham Ortelius, was a Flemish cartographer born in 1527. He was native to the Habsburg Netherlands, and is most famous for his Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, which is widely considered to be the world's first global atlas.

The cartouche in the top right corner of the map is quite notable as the main body of the cartouche contains a conspicuous "S.P.Q.A." This likely stands for "Senatus Populusque Amstelodamensis," which means "The Senate and People of Amsterdam." This is a rather on-the-nose reference to the famous "S.P.Q.R." Here, we see a clear catering to the fascination with antiquity found among the consumers of these maps. Furthermore, it perhaps indicates a romantic fascination with "Romanitas" in the cartographer himself.

Additionally, within the main body of the same cartouche, the cartographer writes the following: "Abraham Ortelius, a citizen, freely and deservedly dedicated to antiquity the homeland he had restored." The caption seems to indicate that Abraham Ortelius dedicates his homeland to antiquity itself by depicting it in a manner consistent with its state in ancient times.

The cartouche in the bottom left corner of the map seems to be a positive review, extolling the work of Ortelius and encouraging others to study the map. The translation of the text reads: "Ortelius unlocks the monuments of ancient antiquity of the Belgae, while he reads ancient histories. Gather the earliest seeds of your native soil, Belgian, and see for yourself from what ancient stock you are newly born."

In accord with its purpose, the map depicts features topical to the study of Roman history. In particular, these are installations relevant to the study of the Late Republic and Caesar's campaigns in Gallia and Belgica. The map seems to be depicting the year 57 B.C. as it includes the camp of Labienus, Caesar's, most competent lieutenant, near the Sabis River. It is from this position that Labienus aided Caesar in the Battle of the Sabis River, securing for his superior a decisive victory.

Furthermore, Belgic tribes prominent during the time period are represented in the map, such as the Nervii, who featured prominently in the Battle of the Sabis River.

What appear at first glance to be inaccuracies actually represent the state of the Dutch coastline in the first century B.C.

One of the most important Asian maps, from 1710.