Ancient geographers mapped cities to create global maps using travel descriptions, surveys, and a significant amount of mathematics!
The Development of Cartography Techniques
In ancient times, maps were primarily visual representations of individual locations. Similar to the map created by the Babylonians around 600 BC, most maps focused on a single location, its terrain, and nearby roads and cities. These maps were created by combining available information from travelers’ accounts, scientific hypotheses, documents, and reports from seafarers.
Anaximander: The First Mapmaker
The world map did not appear until the 5th century. Anaximander, the first mapmaker, described the world as it was known at that time. The original map has since been lost, but according to Herodotus, it was a circular map with land surrounded by a body of water.
Greece may have been at the center, along with the Mediterranean Sea, with Europe to the north and Asia to the south. It was not very specific but still quite impressive!
Since that time, maps have only become more detailed as more areas were explored and recorded. These maps still followed a circular model, surrounded by sea on all sides, but they contained much more detail about locations in Asia and Europe.
Mapping was not limited to the Greeks; the Chinese also created maps on silk and wooden blocks as early as the 4th century.
In the 3rd century, Eratosthenes successfully calculated the circumference of the Earth, determining that the Earth is indeed spherical rather than flat. This discovery also led to subsequent changes in the field of cartography.
Triangulation: A Mathematical Technique for Measuring Distance
You might be surprised to learn that mapping was more connected to mathematics than geography in ancient times, but that is the truth. Cartography is essentially an art that employs mathematical methods like triangulation! The position of a point C can be determined by measuring its angles with two known points A and B; this was the most commonly used technique of the time. This triangulation method is still used today but in a much more complex manner.
Eratosthenes’ Map
Eratosthenes’ Map.
Eratosthenes also developed a network that helped him locate sites. He designated a route through Rhodes and the Pillars of Hercules (modern-day Gibraltar) as one of the main lines in his network. This route divided the world into two fairly equal parts and defined the longest known east-west range.
He chose the route through Rhodes as the main axis for north-south grid lines. He then drew seven parallel lines on both axes, creating a rectangular grid. Thanks to this grid, he was able to determine the locations of sites on the first world map!
Ptolemy’s Map
Ptolemy created a world map using the longitude and latitude system that we still use today. His work is similar to that of Eratosthenes, but Ptolemy’s contributions are more widely recognized because he not only mapped but also wrote a book on how he created the maps.
His work built on the foundations laid by his predecessors, but his geography book is notable for explaining the step-by-step process of map-making so that people could replicate the mapping techniques anywhere. His book was later translated and helped the Arabs recreate his maps, as well as add more details to the world map.
Maps gradually became much more detailed as new areas were explored and documented. Additionally, advancements in mathematics and astronomy helped refine the world map as we know and love it today!
Mapping Using Foot Measurement Techniques
Map drawn using foot measurement methods.
In ancient surveying, people could only measure by foot and draw what they saw. This method was very labor-intensive and time-consuming, leading to uncertainty in the accuracy of the final drawings. However, at that time, there was no better method available.
Later, the ancient invention of the “trolley drum” was created to assist in mapping. This was a horse-drawn cart designed to calculate distance traveled. Each time the cart covered a mile, a figure on the cart would beat a drum once.
Along with this invention came the establishment of six surveying elements: scale, position, distance, elevation, angle, curvature. The efficiency of distance measurement improved significantly, and surveyors had to exert much less effort.
Trolley drum.
However, in reality, cartography remained quite a large undertaking for ancient peoples. It wasn’t until the 19th century in the West that mathematician Gauss discovered a new projection method that addressed the issue of distorting a sphere onto a flat surface, marking a new era in the field of cartography.
Why Did People Map in Ancient Times?
This is not difficult to guess, as the purpose of maps has not changed over the years! Maps were created to facilitate navigation and outline the topographical features of a particular location. Maps were often created with the mentioned location at the center, meaning that the original world maps did not exist. However, as trade and travel increased, people explored new areas and thus developed more comprehensive and expansive maps.
Mapping was particularly useful for seafarers as it helped them mark ports and explore territories without getting lost. Maps provided an alternative to written descriptions; moreover, routes and trade paths depicted on maps could reach a wider audience than what could be conveyed orally.
