Jump to content

Psalter world map

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Johnbod (talk | contribs) at 03:28, 26 September 2017 (added Category:British Library collections using HotCat). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Psalter world map, ca. 1260

Psalter World Map is the name historiography gave to a medieval world map that has been found in a psalter. This mappa mundi is now conserved at the British Library in London.

The small map (c. 9.5 cm or 3.7 in high) shows a lot of detail. It was written around 1260; the author is unknown. According to historian Anna-Dorothee von den Brincken, it looks like a small version of the Ebstorf Map from Northern Germany.

It is a typical mappa mundi that does not only show the geographical and historical knowledge, but also puts it into the frame of salvation history. Jesus Christ appears in the East (i.e. "above"), as the maps of Christian Middle Ages have East above, not North, giving a blessing with his right hand.

General references

  • von den Brincken, Anna-Dorothee (1992). Fines Terrae. Die Enden der Erde und der vierte Kontinent auf mittelalterlichen Weltkarten. MGH-Schriften. Vol. 36. Hannover: Hahnsche Buchhandlung. ISBN 3-7752-5436-6.
  • Psalter map, c. 1265 Deep zoom feature, highlighted details. Video introduction from Peter Barber, Head of Maps at the British Library.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Psalter_world_map&oldid=802430339"