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The journey from textual descriptions and valiant guesses to the exceptionally accurate maps of today was a millennia-long enterprise of small steps. However, as the US graphic designer and video producer Jeremy Shuback explores in this brief history of mapmaking, the endeavour took a somewhat giant leap with the project that would later become known as the Catalan Atlas (1375). The ambitious project, which was assembled mostly by Jewish cartographers, combined the mapmaking expertise of the Muslim world and the nautical prowess of the Christian world. And, as Shuback details, in addition to being perhaps the most accurate and important map of the Middle Ages, it was also quite beautiful, with detailed illustrations of ancient rulers, Christian mythology and more woven into the landscape.
Via Open Culture
Director: Jeremy Shuback
video
Rituals and celebrations
A whale hunt is an act of prayer for an Inuit community north of the Arctic Circle
8 minutes
video
Politics and government
How it looked to Afghan women to see the Taliban return to power
33 minutes
video
Biography and memoir
Passed over as the first Black astronaut, Ed Dwight carved out an impressive second act
13 minutes
video
The ancient world
The six priestesses who kept the flame of ancient Rome alight at risk of death
5 minutes
video
Engineering
A close-up look at electronic paper reveals its exquisite patterns – and limitations
9 minutes
video
Architecture
West Africa was once an architectural laboratory. Is it time for a revival?
12 minutes
video
Work
A Swedish expat in the Philippines wonders: what’s up with people sleeping at work?
14 minutes
video
Art
‘If you’re creative, why can’t you create a solution?’ One artist’s imaginative activism
17 minutes
video
The ancient world
An ancient Roman’s hilarious (and perhaps relatable) response to a social snub
2 minutes