On a recent visit to the British Museum, I saw an exhibition on the Silk Road and was amazed at the web of complex links that crisscrossed the world through trading routes (pictured above). What underpinned the layout for the exhibition was location and the understanding of connections through maps. This inspired me to consider maps in the context of developing historical understanding.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary describes a map as ‘a representation, usually on a flat surface, of the whole or a part of an area’. The definition from the Royal Geographical Society is more nuanced: 'A map is a symbolic representation of selected characteristics of a place, usually drawn on a flat surface. Maps present information about the world in a simple, visual way.'
The premise under both definitions appears to be that maps are used to gain a geographical understanding of our world. For many people, maps are seen simply as an accurate diagram of an area or location that we can use to navigate it; a rather outdated paper GPS, perhaps. It would seem that my pupil was correct in their assumption above!
But people make maps and people commission maps, and history is about people, their lives, their decisions and their interpretations of events and the changing world around them. This is why I set out to explore maps as ‘routes into men’s minds’ and to consider the way that maps intentionally (and unintentionally) reveal perceptions, interpretations and realities of history. I have also explored classroom activities where pupils can use maps as historical sources.
Some misconceptions about maps
1) There is a correct map