16 MAPS AND THEIR MAKERS 



culture on the one hand, and on the other shared in the expand- 

 ing commerce of the Mediterranean. To one of them, Anaxi- 

 mander, was traditionally ascribed the construction of the first 

 Greek map early in the sixth century B.C. The first reference 

 in western literature to a map occurs in Herodotus' account 

 of the interview between Aristagoras, tyrant of Miletus, and the 

 Spartans, whose help he was seeking against the Persians. 

 According to Herodotus, Aristagoras produced a bronze 

 tablet on which was inscribed ''the circumference of the whole 

 earth, the whole sea, and all the rivers". When, however, the 

 Spartans learned that Susa, the Persian capital, was three 

 m.onths' march from the Mediterranean coast, they refused to 

 listen further to him! 



Our knowledge of the form and content of Greek maps, 

 apart from those of Ptolemy, is based upon references in the 

 writings of historians and geographers. From these it has been 

 deduced that the Greeks possessed from an early date written 

 itineraries and also itinerary maps of their main trading routes 

 in the eastern Mediterranean region. Similarly they certainly 

 had written descriptions of the coasts sailed by their merchant 

 skippers, but they do not seem to have constructed sailing 

 charts. As the voyages were mainly along the coasts, no doubt 

 written directions were preferred to charts, especially as, owing 

 to lack of precise instruments, the charts could not be very 

 accurate. There are, at least, no clear references to marine 

 charts. Information gleaned from sailors, however, contributed 

 much to the general maps, in which the coastlines necessarily 

 formed a considerable element. 



The itinerary maps showed the stages along important 

 routes, for example, from the Mediterranean sea coast through 

 Asia Minor to the Persian capital at Susa. This was represented 

 as a straight line, with indications of the main features of the 

 country on each side of it. From sectional maps such as this, a 

 general map of the known world was built up. How this was 

 done has been shown by Sir John Myres from a study of 

 Herodotus. It was first sought to establish a few fundamental 

 lines, corresponding roughly to our parallels and meridians. 

 One such parallel was the royal road to Susa mentioned above; 

 others were provided by lists of peoples who were supposed to 



