Mapping Time and Space

Medieval world maps have been viewed in the past as quaint, amusing and simply wrong. This text studies these maps differently, showing that the medieval world view, as expressed in maps, was not only a matter of measuring space, but of placing the Earth in a philosophical and religious setting. A major component of this setting was the passage of time, and many medieval maps show a narrative of human spiritual development: creation, the giving of the law, the coming of Christ, and the Last Judgement. Viewing medieval maps, not as isolated pieces of parchment, but in the context of the manuscripts in which they appear (not necessarily geographies, but more often calendar manuscripts, scientific treatises and histories) reveals the roles played in medieval thought, and how, in turn, medieval thinking determined the form and content of maps.