Ancient Mapping

Buddhist Jataka stories wrote about large Indian ships carrying seven
hundred people. In the Artha Sastra, Koutilya wrote about the Board of
Shipping and the Commissioner of Port who supervised sea traffic. The
Harivamsa informs that the first geographical survey of the world was
performed during the period of Vaivasvata. The towns, villages and
demarcation of agricultural land of that time were charted on maps.
Brahmanda Purana provides the best and most detailed description of
world map drawn on a flat surface using an accurate scale. Padma Purana
says that world maps were prepared and maintained in book form and kept
with care and safety in chests. Surya Siddhanta speaks about
construction of wooden globe of earth and marking of horizontal circles,
equatorial circles and further divisions. Some Puranas say that the map
making had great practical value for the administrative, navigational
and military purposes. Hence the method of making them would not be
explained in general texts accessible to the public and were ever kept
secret. Surya Siddhanta says that the art of cartography is the secret
of gods.

http://hinduwisdom.info/Seafaring_in_Ancient_India.htm

Ancient Indians knew Atlantic ocean:

http://vsprasad.2pt.net/

http://www.cambridge.org/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9780521804554

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_and_technology_in_ancient_India

http://www.answers.com/topic/achievements-of-ancient-indian-civilization

http://www.infinityfoundation.com/mandala/t_rs/t_rs_ship_bibliog.htm

Since many ancient maps were not created for the purpose of aiding navigation or exploration, but were actually a way to preserve some obscure knowledge, weve found that many of the so-called classical maps ascribed to voyagers o the first millenium were either

1purposely incorrect just in case they got into the wrong hands, or

2they were produced with a series of cyphers and symbols that only a select few could interpret.

The Pri Reis Map ahs recently come under close scrutiny by modern forensic tools. Several of the line spreads actualy show residues of detergents that are modern formularies. .

There were a number of maps produced of the early colonies that persisted in depicting a great southern lake in the Tenessee Georgia area. This amounted to an inland sea and was used to suggest that travel into this area would be difficult and maybe dangerous. It was , of course, a hoax, but like all uses of "terra incognita" and symbols that bounded a known world, there was a logic and purpose behind it.
I love old maps and am constantly amazed at , not how incorrect they are, but quite the opposite, how some maps got such things as coastlines fairly correct with the tools and the time it took to verify . I wasalways amazed at how accurate the area around Tierra Del Fuego was accurately mapped by Capt Fitzroy of the BEgle. He had to constantly put teams ashore and backshoot to the ship which was required to stay "on station" for months.

Hey, Farmerman, thanks! You gave a wonderful light on the map making of ancient times! The map I have been working on is of an ancient kingdom (or Empire consisting of five kingdoms in the region). There are a lot of mystery and secrets within the empire and I like the idea that ancient maps are not always drawn for exactness and detailed navagational purposes. It helps me relax and just create the map for my use in keeping my head straight for the three books I am writing. I am trying to avoid contradictions and also to keep it mysterious as to the "fifth kingdom".

You sound like you know quite a bit about old maps. Maybe you know something about ancient cultures as well? It is not an easy thing to do when living in modern times to write about something long ago without doing some study and research. I try to avoid modern language cliches while writing it, but it is so easy for such to slip in unnoticed. It is much like taking a character from star wars and make them fit inside an ancient palace of a kingdom before even electricity or indoor plumbing. (sigh)

Thanks for the insightful thoughts concerning ancient maps.

Namaste, Thank you [(shukriya) <--I think I have that right] Prasad for the links. They were very interesting and gave me some great ideas. I will further study them for the history and artifacts of India.

khudahaphis

My interests lie with the "deep time" that precedes "hominidity"

Years ago, as peneance while a grad student I had to teach surveying and plane table mapping. It was like herding cats.

that is a long time ago.......

I can see it now......herding cats! They are such independent creatures.

Ancient Indians were the first to develop cartography.

Buddhist Jataka stories wrote about large Indian ships carrying seven
hundred people. In the Artha Sastra, Koutilya wrote about the Board of
Shipping and the Commissioner of Port who supervised sea traffic. The
Harivamsa informs that the first geographical survey of the world was
performed during the period of Vaivasvata. The towns, villages and
demarcation of agricultural land of that time were charted on maps.
Brahmanda Purana provides the best and most detailed description of
world map drawn on a flat surface using an accurate scale. Padma Purana
says that world maps were prepared and maintained in book form and kept with care and safety in chests. Surya Siddhanta speaks about
construction of wooden globe of earth and marking of horizontal circles,
equatorial circles and further divisions. Some Puranas say that the map
making had great practical value for the administrative, navigational
and military purposes. Hence the method of making them would not be
explained in general texts accessible to the public and were ever kept
secret. Surya Siddhanta says that the art of cartography is the secret
of gods.

http://vsprasad.2pt.net/

Among all countries in the world, India has inherited
the largest number of ancient manuscripts from time
immemorial. They were written on the widest range of
subjects known to humans.

Indians have travelled around the world in ships to
spread their knowledge since millenia. The oldest
universities of the world like Patali Putra and Taksha
Sila are located in India. Scholars from far east and
Europe came here for higher knowledge.

"The oldest University of the world was founded at
Taxila, where taught the great grammarian Panini."

http://ccc.1asphost.com/hamidsaeed/darood/HIST-PAKISTAN.htm

Here be dragons.

Or more properly... "HC SVNT DRACONES"