Medieval European cartography, c. 1280: speculative and symbolic

In order to to understand the transformation of European cartographic method and geographical knowledge from the mid-fifteenth century onwards, it is necessary to glance back at the medieval European cartographic tradition. The tradition of the 'mappa mundi' is not the most recent such tradition, or in some ways the most relevant one; but it does provide a yardstick against which later world maps can be measured.  

The largest surviving example of this genre is the Hereford Mappa Mundi, created in the last quarter of the thirteenth century. Measuring 1.59 x 1.34 metres (5’2” by 4’4”), the map is constructed on a single sheet of vellum (calf skin). Its main purpose was not to help its users find directions, but to provide a visual encyclopaedia that incorporated historical, zoological, ethnographic, theological and other kinds of information.

The Hereford Mappa Mundi conforms to the O–T format (orbis terrarum) of early European world maps, first described by the 7th-century scholar Isidore of Seville in his De Natura Rerum and later his Etymologiae (this image is taken from the first printed edition of the latter work in Augburg 1472). The O represents the oceans surrounding the three known continents, divided by the T and settled by the sons of Noah. Asia (and east) is on top, settled by Sem; Europe (Jafeth) and Africa (Cham) are below, separated by the Mediterranean. 

More elaborate versions (as in Hereford) place the Garden of Eden at the top, Jerusalem in the centre, and the pillars of Hercules at the bottom. East, where the sun rises, was where medieval Christians looked for the second coming of Christ. The British Isles is at the bottom on the left.

Further resources. Hereford Cathedral provides an interactive website allowing further exploration of this treasure. 

Commentary. Howard Hotson (May 2021)