Essays & Articles
Jan 31, 2024
Portolan Charts Part IV: Longevity of Genre
Portrait of a Chartmaker by Pietro Vesconti anno 1318
While there is no consensus regarding the origins of portola...
Dec 30, 2023
Portolan Charts Part III: Evolution of Portolans
The Dulcert Chart 1339
The theme of portolani is enormous and complex. In each of our blogs dedicated to this them...
Dec 20, 2023
Portolan Charts Part II: 14th Century Charts
Portolans have been a topic of scholarly controversy for decades. The predecessors of the charts is the theme of myri...
Dec 9, 2023
Portolan Charts Part I: The Carte Pisane
Detail of the Carte Pisane 1275 - 1300
This detail of the Carte Pisane, the...
Nov 18, 2023
The Kangnido Map
The Kangnido Map of 1402: A Non-Eurocentric Worldview
Many of the early maps we have been discussing were based on...
Nov 5, 2023
Sawley Map
A small but fantastical drawing known today as the Sawley Map was used by a 12th century theologian to illustrate ...
Oct 29, 2023
The Psalter World Map
One of the most remarkable and important survivors of medieval European maps is The Psalter World Map, the only know...
Oct 18, 2023
Cotton Mappa Mundi
Cotton Mappa Mundi
The fascinating Cotton Mappa Mundi, one of the earliest surviving maps of the world known to hav...
Oct 13, 2023
Fra Mauro Mappa Mundi
The Mappa Mundi by Fra Mauro was a major cartographical accomplishment of the mid-fifteenth century, a stunning ma...
Sep 12, 2023
The Book of Curiosities
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World Map from The Book of Curiosities
The next early work we will discuss is a remarkable Arabic manuscript dati...
Aug 21, 2023
The Piri Reis Map of 1513
Portion of the 1513 Piri Reis Map
The spectacular 1513 Piri Reis world map, next in our series of ancient maps, date...
Jun 30, 2023
The Dunhuang Star Chart
North Circumpolar Region from the Dunhuang Star Chart
This blog in our ancient map series deviates a bit from the re...