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Geography as a ToolConcept
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Greeks made a world map Eratosthenes 200 BC, showing knowledge of Arabia, ... T in O Maps showing the world with the East (Orient) at the Top and Jerusalem in ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation
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Title: Geography as a ToolConcept
1
Geography as a Tool/Concept
- The growth of a nation and ultimately an empire
required geographical skills - to find, return,
and record territory from a given location e.g.
the courts of King Charles or Queen Elizabeth. - Thus geographically speaking, this depended on a
skill we take for granted today - the ability of
people to journey out and back from their points
of origin a skill we call navigation. - The ability to recognize, understand, and record
spatial relationships and identify relative
locations was critical. - Empire building thus required a number of skills
to come together mathematics, astronomy,
instrument building, drawing and printing,
progress in transportation, etc.
2
Some Technological Highpoints
- Invention of the magnetic compass in 200 BC or so
(China) became popular maritime instrument
around 1100 AD in Europe. - Invention of printing in 200 AD, paper in 900 AD
(China) and the first mass-produced application
in Europe (c 1450). - Invention of the Astrolabe around 200-300 BC and
perfection of astronomy and geometry by the
Greeks (e.g. Aristotle c 350).
3
Evolving Tools of Navigation
4
Some Mapping Highpoints
- Babylonians begin map making c 3000 BC, explored
the Mediterranean. - Egyptians circumnavigated Africa c 600 BC.
- Greeks made a world map Eratosthenes 200 BC,
showing knowledge of Arabia, Africa, Europe and
decided earth is a sphere, not flat. - Ptolemy produced an 8-volume geography work with
techniques of map making, 3D to flat surface
projection, etc. in Alexandria 150 AD. - Europe enters Dark Ages from 400-1000 AD in which
map making and navigation was set back by
theology, etc. and use of Roman, not Greek
fundamentals. - Italians reanimated navigation by production of
Portolan charts using compass and triangulation.
5
The First World Map
6
Ptolemaic Worldview
7
Medieval Geography
T in O Maps showing the world with the East
(Orient) at the Top and Jerusalem in the center.
8
Portolan Charts Used Triangulation
Mariners could accurately place relative, if not
always absolute, locations using triangulation to
recognizable landmarks, stars, etc.
9
More Mapping Highpoints
- Muslims kept astronomy and map-making mathematics
alive as they expanded their navigation and thus
their empire from Asia to Europe. - Marco Polo got to China and back from Italy
overland (late 1200s). - Spanish and Portuguese built on the best of
muslim and Italian knowledge in 1400s (exiled
Jews escaping to these countries while fleeing
persecution of the Popes played a huge role). - The Italians rediscovered the old works of
Ptolemy which were translated to Latin from
Arabic (1406) and mass-produced on new printed
presses. - Spanish and Portuguese kings founded royal
schools and libraries of navigation and maps
(1450s). - Spanish and Portuguese explorers sailed, mapped
and returned from the Horn Of Africa, India,
Caribbean, South America, and finally,
circumnavigated the globe (late 1400s early
1500s).
10
Early Map Resources
- Index of Cartographic Images Illustrating Maps of
the Early Medieval Period 400-1300 A.D. - http//www.henry-davis.com/MAPS/EMwebpages/EML.htm
l - Index of Cartographic Images Illustrating Maps of
the Late Medieval Period 1300 - 1500 A.D. - http//www.henry-davis.com/MAPS/LMwebpages/LML.htm
l
11
A More Recognizable World by the 1500s
12
Map-Making not the Only TechnologicalKey to
European Progress
- The water wheel known to Romans, massively
introduced in Europe around 11th Century to take
advantage of thousands of small streams and
mechanize milling, pressing, etc. e.g. England
1066 6,000 counted, more on mainland Europe. - Eyeglasses invented in Italy c.1300 and allowed
fine detail work on instruments, etc. led to
many subsequent innovations.
Landes, 1998.
13
Technological Tools Spurring European Progress
- Mechanical Clock 1300s spurred science of
mechanical engineering, small tools, etc. led
to greater and more sophisticated societal
organization and improvements in productive power
of labor. - Printing invented in China but popularized and
used for spread of knowledge in Europe, initially
for religion (Gutenberg Bible 1452) but then
maps, ship plans, charts, etc. - fueled
exponential spread of learning, educated classes.
Landes, 1998.
14
Technological Tools Spurring European Progress
- Gunpowder again invented by Chinese but
perfected into deadly munitions by Europeans in
1500s invented gun metal from bell metals,
explosive kernels for propelling balls, shot,
etc. - Ship building Europeans learned from Chinese
Junks, Arabian Dhows, Viking long-ships, put it
all together to produce fast, agile, strong
ocean-going vessels powered by square or
triangular sails (e.g. caravels of Portugal
1400s), then turned them into floating armories
(two-story British warships early 1500s) and
ultra-fast merchant clippers (1800s).
Landes, 1998.
15
Why Europe Why not China?
- Chinese invented paper, printing, gunpowder,
compass, had massive population, naval supremacy
in Asia/Pacific, efficient agriculture, smelting,
water power, etc. But. - Didnt innovate and apply technologies from one
sector to another (e.g. spinning hemp to spinning
cotton or other fibers). - Didnt have free markets or institutionalized
property rights and so risk-taking for profit was
not an incentive. - Government taxes, especially on foreign trade
(China viewed this as the governments right),
stifled expansion of their trading influence.
Around 1430s, retreated from maritime activities,
moving emperors power base to Peking. - Failed to exploit labor for mass, automated
production, esp. women (contrast Chinese textile
production with that of Europe where women worked
in cottage industries, then proto-factories).
Landes, 1998.
16
Why Europe Why not China?
- Europe innovated and benefited from cumulative
progress that spread geographically. - Europe benefited from being region of independent
city and nation states and not a monolithic
imperial system. Thus nations competed with each
other for supremacy and if one nation didnt see
an opportunity, another would (e.g. Columbus and
Magellan were both snubbed by one nation and
embraced by another) - Lack of imperial control and weakening of church
influence created society with many
entrepreneurs, guaranteed considerable autonomy
and ability to amass personal wealth. - Religious beliefs that extolled values of labor,
dominance of man over nature, saw time as linear
(hence progress as cumulative). - Presence of free markets for trade, often with
royal support and patronage (e.g. Spanish and
Portuguese Crown financing early explorers) as
well as private financing (e.g. Dutch mercantile
societies East Indies Co., etc.)
Landes, 1998.
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