Maps In Western Civilization

Although maps and clocks were huge game changers, the invention of the book was most likely the greatest of the three. When books were introduced, this led people to not only wanting to read, but needing to read. Books were becoming for more personal improvement than anything. “The accomplished reader, Maryanne Wolf explains, develops specialized brain regions geared to the rapid deciphering of text.” (Carr 63) This meaning people were becoming more attentive. They were able to concentrate on one thing at a time. And although this development was not simple or quick, it was very useful for the mind. People were also realizing this change as it happened in mass. “The medieval bishop of Isaac of Syria described how, whenever he read to himself, ‘as in a dream, I enter a state when my sense and thoughts are concentrated.’” (Carr 65)

In the article “Do Maps Create or Represent Reality?” written by Laura Herbert as a high school senior on March 2002 is about how maps can tell stories. No map is 100% accurate and is usually only accurate in shape, area, or distance. There are different types of maps and each has its own strong points. Maps are good at representing a place it self, but they don’t define that the place exists. Mapmakers when making maps can each put their own personalization, this is what usually causes them to be different. Even though maps are not completely right, they still influence the way we think about the world. Mapmaker cannot just make up random things they need to have some sort of reality

Geography has always played a major role in the development of civilizations, colonies and nations. For the British colonies in North America, geography came to be the most influential factor in their evolution during the 1600’s. Geography was vital in impacting and determining the economy, lifestyle, and population of the colonies, with the most obvious differences between the north and the south.

A difficulty that faced explorers and settlers in the process of developing Charles Town was the map layouts. People that make maps for a

When the European settlers arrived in the New World, geography had a huge impact on how the New World colonies developed. The new settlers wanted to reside in area where they could access food and natural resources, the sea for trade, land for farming, and an area safe from attack. Each colony relied on a product to sell that was native to their location. These products were traded, and helped the colony to survive. Although cultural and religious beliefs played a significant role in developing the British colonies of North America, geography played an even bigger role in shaping the colonies, as well as today's society.

Geography had a tremendous impact on early civilizations, the topography of the different regions played a key role in their development and formation. This statement by Fernand Braudel “ Geography is the stage in which humanity’s endless dramas are played out” (Getz et al., Exchanges, 26) is a very moving and telling description. The terrain, whether it is natural or man made is not the end all, be all. It does however affect the stage a great deal. Mountainous areas act as blockades, which keep the societies independent, plains open up the area, and rivers enable everything to move around freely. 2

As you can see the Aksum empire was the best and biggest trading empire because of where they were and the geography around them. Ancient Egypt was a smart empire and learn the way the geography around them worked and what it did, so they can plan around it and be successful. Lastly, Ancient Greece was affected and they weren’t able to move and be able to life with a very successful empire where they were. This shows that geography was a huge part of the way the people in the empires lived and if they were successful or

1) Some examles of a primary source document are diaries, manuscripts and letters 2) Political maps show the boundaries and locations of countries, states, cities, towns and counties. Topographic maps show information including roads, elevation, rivers andother water bodies and political boundaries. A cartographic map graphically represents a geographical area, usually on a flat surface and may involve political, cultural, or other non­geographical divisions of a geographical area. 3) A nomad is a member of a group that has no permanent home, wandering from place to place in search of food and water. 4) The key discovery of the Neolithic Revolution is agriculture andthe domestication of animals. This was beneficial becasue it allowed nomads to not

First and foremost, the printing press helped to advance exploration. After its invention in 1450 it soon impacted the world of exploration. As shown in Document E due to the printing press Henricus Martellus’s 1489 world map was made to be more accurate by Martin Waldseemuller’s in 1507 because word spread after the first world map about the placing of the continents which lead to a clearer understanding of the world making it so that Martin could accurately create a map of the world. The printing

For example, “They (The Rocky Mountain Fur Company mountain men) discovered the best routes, passes, settlement sites, and natural resources (Lambert,162).” This was very important, because with this additional knowledge, it was easy to make permanent settlements and trails. Another example is, “...explorers and trappers explored and documented the region for their companies… (Lambert, 153).” Mapping was very important at this time, because there were many spots in the Oregon Country that hadn’t been mapped or explored at all. With more space mapped out, explorers could also estimate if the area was profitable for future fur trading. A final example is, “...the North West Fur Company, routinely employed explorers to chart regions unfamiliar to whites (Lambert, 152).” Each fur company was racing to chart more land, where more furs could be

In Ted Binnema’s “How does a Map Mean?” the author describes how maps are used as a way of understanding how a particular society functions. In Old Swan’s map, it is evident that it was done by groups of individuals and not just one particular person given there are places on the map that Old Swan was unaware of. Therefore, maps are a portrayal of an entire community’s knowledge of their land and not just one individual. Given this, it appears that it is not about what a map means but how it is used to establish meaning for those who wrote it. Each map is created in a different way and it is useless to try to understand it without first placing ourselves in the mindset of the cartographer(s) who wrote it. Furthermore, some indigenous maps are created using many others and to completely appreciate them, it is best to assume that they were created to be understood by the people at the time and hence, this can be why they seem puzzling to modern readers. For instance, in trying to understand Fidler’s map, because Arrowsmith was completely consumed with modern cartography, he was unable to decipher the cartographic style of Old Swan’s map (which Fidler based his maps on as well as others (five maps total) ).

Boyer and Nissenbaum use multiple maps to prove their argument that geographic location played a major role in the

In 1992, however, there were no blank spots on the map - not in Alaska, not anywhere. But Chris, with his idiosyncratic logic, came up with an elegant solution to this dilemma: he simply got rid of the map.” (Krakauer 174) Chris wanted to entrust his own sense of direction rather than whatever the map says. This also could have prevented his death because if he’d had a map he would’ve seen the cable and basket that spanned over the Teklanika River and he could have

At their core, both ordnance Thomas Jefferson’s Land ordnance of 1785 and Thomas Colby’s survey of Ireland were attempts at surveying and quantifying absolute space with the aim of eventually transforming it into abstract space. In Jefferson’s case, the land was surveyed so that settlers and prospectors could purchase farmland west of the Appalachian Mountains, north of the Ohio River and East of the Mississippi River. This was done as a method of raising revenue as Congress didn’t yet possess the power to use taxation as a source of revenue. It was also carried out to minimize disputes over land borders and to give landowners a concrete idea of the land that they owned. In Colby’s survey’s case, it was used as way of similarly as a way of taking

Much of the new technology that they brought over, however, was borrowed from various people and cultures along their travels. Some of these new technologies include the compass, which they used to figure out which direction they were travelling, and the astrolabe, which aided the sailors in trying to find out how far north or south they were from the equator. Another borrowed technology that greatly benefitted the Europeans on their travels was cartography; this is the science of map making. This was probably one of the most beneficial discoveries to the Europeans because it allowed them to draw out where they had been and where they were