Some where back in time, mapmakers shifted from creating mappaemundi - visual representations of the world with Jerusalem at the center, to portolans, which showed sailing routes between ports of call. "The medieval mappaemundi (world maps in the Christian tradition) are the cosmographies of thinking landsmen. By contrast, the portolan charts preserve the Mediterranean sailors firsthand experience of their own sea, as well as their expanding knowledge of the Atlantic Ocean," says Tony Campbell, Map Librarian for the British Map Library.To see the differences, take a look at this cool example of a mappamunde DIE EBSTORFER WELTKARTE . Stroll around the grounds until you feel at home.
I think there comes a time when you've got to stop thinking so much about where God lived on earth and start focusing on where you're going next. Take a look at this
portolan from 1489 to get your bearings. Portolans were used onboard to plan voyages. Captains, owners, investors and the like used them to determine sailing routes, figure out the best times to voyage hither and yon, locate ports of interest for trading and find places to stop in at if the ship needed repair. To quote Ralph Helverson, "A ship is safe in a harbor; but that is not what a ship is for."
Same goes for portolani.
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