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Maps help us understand how a society views the world and its place in it. All societies had a long tradition of cartography before the seventeenth century. But increased contacts with and expanded knowledge about the rest of the world after 1500 challenged these traditional views. By studying the cartography of several societies between 1600 and 1780, we can better understand the cultural exchange that took place amongst various societies during this period as well as the persistence of time honored traditions. Both were worked together to produce new synthesis.
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For pre 1500 traditional cartography in China, Europe, and the Islamic world, see the following images and Documents. What traditions, cosmologies, and heritage shaped these world views? What is common about them? What is dissimilar?
Image 1 (For an explanation see Document 1.) Image 2 (For an explanation see Document 2.) Image 3 (For an explanation see Document 3.) Image 4 (For an Explanation see Document 4.) Image 5 (For an explanation see Document 5.) Image 6 (For an explanation see Document 6.) |
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For further exploration of Islamic and Chinese Cartography go to Document 7, Document 8 |
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For other world views expressed through cartography see Document 9 |
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After 1500, European cartography to changed to reflect mariners' need for better maps and European scholars increased knowledge about the world. The refinement of the Mercator Projection was the most revolutionary development here. For an explanation study Document 10, Document 11 |
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Europeans believed their new cartography to be universally applicable were befuddled when others were less embracing. Study the Documents below for one prominent example. Why were the Chinese hesitant to embrace European cartography? What did they consider useful about it? What did they find objectionable? What intellectual synthesis emerged as a result of this hesitancy.
Document 12, Document 13 |
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The following images and explanations demonstrate that, like the Chinese, other non European cartographers begin to synthesize European knowledge with their own traditions to produce unique maps. Why did Japan seem to more eagerly embrace European knowledge?
Image 7 (A Japanese Map) Image 8 (Another Japanese Map of the port of Nagasaki in 1801) Image 9 Image 4 (A Japanese Map of the world from the late seventeenth century) Image 10 (A Japanese globe from 1690) Image 11 (A Persian Map from 1729) |
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