Images

A 16th century portrait of the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama (c. 1469-1525). He was the first European to sail directly from Europe to India via the Cape of Good Hope, a voyage taken in 1497-9. (National Museum of Ancient Art, Lisbon)

A c. 1900 painting by Alfredo Roque Gameiro showing the departure of the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama (c. 1469-1525) from Lisbon. He was the first European to sail directly from Europe to India via the Cape of Good Hope, a voyage taken...

The Turin Papyrus Map is an ancient Egyptian map of gold mines in the Eastern Desert. It is considered to be one of the oldest surviving topographical maps. Made c. 1150 BCE by Scribe-of-the-Tomb Amennakhte, son of Ipuy. (Turin Museum)

A Babylonian cuneiform tablet with a map of the fields, towns and palaces around Nippur. Kassite Period, 1550-1450 BCE. Nippur, Iraq.

Map of Great Britain by Matthew Paris (c. 1199-1259), made c. 1250. From the manuscript Epitome of Chronicles, BL Cotton MS Claudius D VI, fol. 12v. (British Library)

The "Fra Mauro Map" is one of the most accurate surviving Medieval maps, and depicts Asia, Africa and Europe with a high level of accuracy. Made by Fra Mauro in Venice, c. 1450. (Museo Correr, Venice)

The Da Ming Hunyi Tu is a Chinese world map made c. 1389, during the Ming Dynasty. The map, which replicates the curvature of the Earth, centers on China but also includes Africa and Europe. 386 (151.9 in) x 456 cm (175.9). Paint on silk...

The Gangnido (or Kangnido) is a world map created in Korea in 1402. This version of the map was created in Japan during the Edo Period, and differs from the original. It is called the Honkōji copy, after the Honkōji temple it was discovered...

The Tabula Rogeriana, as it is called in English, was made by Arab geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi in 1154. The map was commissioned by Roger II of Sicily (r. 1130-1154) around 1138, and took nearly 15 years to complete. Eight copies of the...

This detail shows a section of the Tabula Peutingeriana, a 13th Century map of the world believed to be based on a Roman original. This section of it includes Rome, the heart of the Roman Empire. The massive scroll measures 0.34 m (1 ft 1...