Maps as Mirrors

Every historical map is a snapshot of what a civilization knew, believed, and wanted others to believe. Medieval European maps placed Jerusalem at the center. Chinese maps placed China at the center — that is what "Middle Kingdom" means. Maps have always been about identity as much as geography.

Before modern surveying, maps mixed observation with imagination. Coastlines drawn by sailors were accurate. Interiors were filled with guesswork and propaganda. Sea monsters marked unknown waters. "Here be dragons" captured the honest truth: we do not know what is there.