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This kind of map is called a mappa mundi, which is a medieval map of the world. This one was made on a number of stitched together goatskins. I am especially fond of the detail at the top and bottom of the map, (warning: large image!) as well as the left and right sides. You can see the head and feet and hands of God as he holds up the world--a reflection of the science of the time.
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These are amazing! I love traveling and finding the modern version for cities and towns~ I know they're tourist gimmicks for the most part, but I still like looking at them. I remember loving the "picture maps" when we took family trips, because I could see drawings of the shops, mountains, beaches, restaurants, attractions. It was very cool for someone who had just been reading for a few years to be able to say, "Hey Dad! Go up two streets and to the left! The beach is right over there." Same thing for maps of Disney World and the like. I could stare at those for hours. This goatskin map, of course, is an even bigger marvel :)
Yes! I too, loved those picture maps. Still do. I hadn't really thought of them as being our modern version of these old 'story telling' maps, though.
Yes, older maps were more about art and expression than being 'real'.
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