The History of Cartography: Cartography in Prehistoric, Ancient and Medieval Europe and the Mediterranean, Vol. 1 - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0226316335 ISBN 13: 9780226316338

Publisher: University of Chicago Press, 1987

Synopsis

By developing the broadest and most inclusive definition of the term "map" ever adopted in the history of cartography, this inaugural volume of the History of Cartography series has helped redefine the way maps are studied and understood by scholars in a number of disciplines.

Volume One addresses the prehistorical and historical mapping traditions of premodern Europe and the Mediterranean world. A substantial introductory essay surveys the historiography and theoretical development of the history of cartography and situates the work of the multi-volume series within this scholarly tradition. Cartographic themes include an emphasis on the spatial-cognitive abilities of Europe's prehistoric peoples and their transmission of cartographic concepts through media such as rock art; the emphasis on mensuration, land surveys, and architectural plans in the cartography of Ancient Egypt and the Near East; the emergence of both theoretical and practical cartographic knowledge in the Greco-Roman world; and the parallel existence of diverse mapping traditions (mappaemundi, portolan charts, local and regional cartography) in the Medieval period.

Throughout the volume, a commitment to include cosmographical and celestial maps underscores the inclusive definition of "map" and sets the tone for the breadth of scholarship found in later volumes of the series.

About this title

From Library Journal

This is the long-awaited first of six volumes that will likely be the standard reference work on the topic and help define the paradigm of an emerging discipline. The editors have assembled a group of internationally known scholars to write on various aspects of cartography. All the papers were written for this volume, and all reflect the editors' quest for a work that synthesizes as well as describes. This volume covers up to about 1470. Future volumes will extend coverage both chronologically and geographically. The illustrations, maps, index, and physical attributes of the book are all first rate. No large library can afford to be without this. Charles A. Seavey, Graduate Lib. Sch., Univ. of Arizona, Tucson
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Publication date: 1987
• ISBN 10: 0226316335
• ISBN 13: 9780226316338
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 622
• Editor: Harley J. B., Woodward David