Ageless yet ancient
Weathered faces
Hands worn raw
The battle fought within
Man versus everything
Gale force piercing winds
Painful driving rainstorms
Hardened brutal hail
Snow and frigid death
Oppressive draining heat
Fierce terrain
Razor sharpened stone
Sinking sands
Vast emptiness
Thickened jungle vines
Pestilence and disease
Torn skin, torn hair
Carried scars evermore
No domicile for comfort
Scarcity of food
Parched from thirst
Watching eyes
Tracking every move
Some with teeth and claws
Others carry steel
Riding battering waves
Atop the horses
Iron and living
Keeping perpetual watch
Seeking out the new
Held back by nothing
To colonize virgin lands
Geological discovery
Myths and legends
Fighting natural enemies
And the prize was…
Cartography
Cartography
Cartography is the practice of making maps and isn’t solely attached to seafaring activities. The importance, accuracy and perspective of a map, especially in ancient times could mean the difference between life and death. Map makers were highly valued for their skill in being able to express distance, elevation, and key landmarks with a homogenous mathematically based scale.
Early mapmakers used the sun and the stars as points of reference when crafting their maps. We know today that these sources are unreliable as their positions in the sky changed based on the time of year. Until the latitude and longitudinal system of measurement was perfects, sailors relied on methods which were less accurate. Yet, despite all of the challenges, these brave souls set forth across the seas to chart unknown coastlines in search of treasure, trade routes, and adventure.
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