Today, detailed maps of almost any part of the world are available at any time. This has not always been the case. Many centuries ago, maps were rare and much more precious. Thousands of years ago, there were hardly any maps at all. The history of mapmaking is closely related to the history of human civilization and human knowledge. Maps show what a group of people in a particular area knew at the time. They reveal that group’s perspective on the world, their knowledge of the terrain, and their priorities.

The first known maps of the world are found on Babylonian clay tablets dating from around 600 B.C. Babylonians grew various crops and exported their surplus agricultural products to neighboring areas to trade for other goods. Because of the success of their trade, they wanted to know more about their surroundings. People in these ancient times believed that the Earth was flat and that their lands were circular. In this early Babylonian world map, Babylon is placed at he center. The circles on the map show the major cities. The lines show rivers and the large circle around the cities is the ocean, which they called the “bitter river.”

As knowledge of the Earth’s geography grew, maps became more detailed. In ancient Greece, the study of astronomy made great advances thanks to Aristotle and other philosophers. Around 330 B.C. Aristotle began to accept the idea that the Earth was a sphere. The Greek scholar Ptolemy incorporated this idea in his book, in which he tried to project the round Earth onto a flat surface. He showed different points on the Earth in relation to lines of latitude and longitude. This idea influenced the making of maps for many centuries afterward.

The influence of Christianity in Europe was strongest during the Middle Ages. There was a shift in thought away from the natural science that had prevailed in ancient Greece toward a Christian worldview that accepted the Bible as fact. This resulted in a return to the flat Earth theory.

Many of the earliest maps during this era were drawn in the T-O style. A “T-O” map is a large circle with a T-shape dividing the area within the circle into three sections. The uppermost part of the map showed Paradise. Jerusalem was placed at the center of the map, as it was thought to be the center of civilization. The three sections of the map were Asia (the largest), Europe and Africa, while the T represented the seas and rivers that divided them. The large O represented the oceans around the continents.

However, in the latter part of the Middle Ages, the simple Christianity-based maps were succeeded by more scientifically accurate maps. The development of sea-based trade greatly influenced this trend. In the 12th century sea trade flourished, especially between countries around the Mediterranean, leading to a greater demand for maps. The contacts European traders had with other countries, including those in the Islamic world, helped them add new and more accurate information to their maps. Marco Polo’s trips to Asia in the late 13th century also stimulated European interest in exploring and knowing the geography of other regions.

During the Renaissance, two major developments led to huge advancements in the accuracy and availability of maps in the West.

The first was the Age of Discovery, the period from the 15th to the 17th centuries during which explorers from Europe traveled the globe and made contact with all the continents. Spain and Portugal led this activity. Many of the ships had mapmakers on board who carefully noted the characteristics of each area they visited. This was particularly important as empires started establishing colonies in remote parts of the world.

The second development was the invention of the printing press, which allowed large numbers of people to share ever more detailed and accurate maps. In this age, with intellectual curiosity throughout the world increasing, there was a distinct shift in maps from the religious to the mathematical. The greater emphasis on scientific knowledge also helped spread the idea that the Earth was round, not flat.

In the 16th century, many of the world’s top mapmakers came from the Netherlands, which was especially active in overseas trade. One of these mapmakers was Gerardus Mercator, who in 1569 used a complex mathematical formula to project the round Earth onto a flat surface. This method, called the Mercator projection, turned the lines of latitude and longitude into a grid of perpendicular lines.

Using his map made it much easier for sailors to navigate across the sea just by drawing a line on the map. The line showed the shortest path to their destination. Although it distorted the sizes of the areas near the poles, it became a very convenient and popular method of making navigation charts. As a result, demand for Mercator’s map rapidly increased.

In more modern times, accounts of world travels have further improved the accuracy of maps. Most recently, significant improvements in measuring instruments and technologies have helped to make maps more or less perfect. Today, satellites and some of the technology developed for space exploration allow ordinary people to view the world not only through precise maps, but also through actual photographs. In recent years, the use of maps has largely shifted from printed atlases and globes to the Internet: we use smartphones and car navigation systems to keep track of our location in real time. Now we can use lifelike 3D renderings to guide us to almost any place we choose.

The development of maps over history closely parallels the development of civilization, knowledge, and interaction among the people of various regions of the world. With the vast variety of maps available today, people can see any part of the world from the comfort of their own homes. Hopefully, this will serve to stimulate curiosity and will encourage people to travel more in the future. If history is any indication, the quest for knowledge knows no limits.