• @PugJesusM
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    142 months ago

    Funny enough, Augustus commissioned one of the first public use maps - a big engraved map of the Empire in Rome that people were allowed to copy down and spread. This is a 19th century reproduction of an earlier reproduction, but it’s thought that this is the map in question.

    • @[email protected]
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      82 months ago

      Ah yes, the old “graph of landmarks” style of map. Highly underrated in my opinion, some people have a mental GPS but fuck me if I do. It’s suggested sometimes that they didn’t think of making the other kind, but given the fact that they did land surveys and had words for cardinal directions I doubt it. They just didn’t see the use, and didn’t make the connection with arithmetic and algebra until Descartes thought to add in a vertical axis.

      One thing I’ve looked for that doesn’t exist is a modern periplus with GPS coordinates of the landmarks included. It could be way more compact than a traditional atlas, but just as useful.