Any attempt to define, with any degree of certainty, when cartography was born, stands a good chance of being incorrect since cartography traces its origins back through to legends. Some people have claimed that they could distinguish a parchment on the wineskins that Aeolus gave to Ulysses, which outlined the paths of the winds. Others maintain that the ten sacred books kept by Egyptian priests also contained maps of Egypt. These are certainly all legends, but an undeniable fact emerges, that the earliest people among the first organised civilisations possessed rudimentary maps sketched onto various materials, like the bark of a tree or woven blades of leaves and shells.
We can only really begin to speak of cartography as a science with Anaximander (611-541 BC), considered by Strabone and Diogene Laerzio as the first inventor of a map of the known world. Cartographic science therefore has its origins in Greek soil, and from these great geniuses its documentary development begins. Notable progress in the development of cartography was subsequently made with the expeditions of Alexander the Great, the discovery of Marseilles made by Pytheas, and the development of scientific theory regarding the rounded shape of the earth, with Aristotle providing proof for the concepts that his esteemed predecessors had previously only guessed at.
The relentless spread of the Roman Empire introduced new geographic discoveries and consequently brought classic cartography to an end. The old Greek maps were rendered inadequate. The practical requirements of the Latin world replaced the Greek's pure speculation for scientific purposes, notwithstanding the efforts made by enlightened geniuses like Ptolemy, Eratosthenes and Marinus of Tyre to further develop the science of cartography. During the middle ages, similar efforts are almost non-existent. In fact, incorrect interpretations of the Bible and the Sacred Scriptures saw a complete turnaround in cartographic science. Quite the opposite was true in the Arab world, where a number of schools flourished during this period, linking cartography closely to the study of geography.
The most significant era in the history of cartography runs from the end of the 1300's until the end of the 17th century, even though we can only speak of a true Renaissance from 1400 onwards. Maps then started to become more technical to meet the growing demands of navigators who required greater certainty during their explorations. From the sixteenth century on, we see maps that are highly decorative, which on the one hand demonstrated the artistic abilities of the cartographers, and on the other, sometimes filled the gaps in the knowledge of the person compiling them.
The seventeenth century is a period which sees the Dutch school flourish. A time of peaceful prosperity, together with the greater freedom of thought allowed in Holland, made it an ideal refuge for literary foreigners, philosophers and craftsmen. This period, defined as the Golden Age of the Dutch, coincides with the fortunes of several publishing houses, such as Elzevier and Blaeu. Whilst other European states were experiencing a stagnation in cartographic culture due to internal events which did not favour any such development, Elzevier and Blaeu forged ahead with their masterful creations.
Click here to read about the Blaeu family and their Four Continents.
