T and O map

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History and description[edit]





The T and O map is representing only the top-half of the spherical Earth.[3] It was presumably tacitly considered a convenient projection of the inhabited parts, the northern temperate half of the globe. Since the southern temperate clime was considered uninhabited, or unattainable, there was no need to depict them on a world map. It was then believed that no one could cross the torrid equatorial clime and reach the unknown lands on the other half of the globe. These imagined lands were called antipodes.[3][4]


A "T-O" map made with modern cartography

This qualitative and conceptual type of medieval cartography could yield extremely detailed maps in addition to simple representations. The earliest maps had only a few cities and the most important bodies of water noted. The four sacred rivers of the Holy Land were always present. More useful tools for the traveler were the itinerary, which listed in order the names of towns between two points, and the periplus that did the same for harbors and landmarks along a seacoast. Later maps of this same conceptual format featured many rivers and cities of Eastern as well as Western Europe, and other features encountered during the Crusades. Decorative illustrations were also added in addition to the new geographic features. The most important cities would be represented by distinct fortifications and towers in addition to their names, and the empty spaces would be filled with mythical creatures.


See also[edit]


  2. ^ Stevens, Wesley M. (1980). "The Figure of the Earth in Isidore's ‘De natura rerum’". Isis 71 (2): 268–277. JSTOR 230175. 
  4. ^ Hiatt, Alfred (2002). "Blank Spaces on the Earth". The Yale Journal of Criticism 15 (2): 223–250. doi:10.1353/yale.2002.0019. 

Further reading[edit]
