A Brief History of Maps

A Brief History of Maps

Nothing makes us feel at home in the world like a good map, but the story of maps is loaded with surprises.

REGISTER HERE

Around 250 BCE, a Greek librarian in Alexandria used his Euclid to compute the earth's circumference with astounding accuracy. Some 1,700 years later, Columbus carried with him a map created by a Renaissance Florentine who had never traveled outside Italy but had argued for sailing west to reach the Indies for two decades. Who first made maps? Have you ever wondered when maps began being oriented north? This class will explore the complex origin and history of maps, both as tools and as examples of art and science. 

This class is presented by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at George Mason University. Instructor Tom Manteuffel, a retired cybersecurity consultant, has taught classes at OLLI on the Renaissance, Stonehenge, the National Gallery of Art, the book of Job, cryptocurrencies and other topics.

How to Join

Please note that you must be signed in to your AARP.org account or create an account to register for events. AARP membership is not required. Please do not opt out of event-related email, as you will be emailed a link to join the class via the OLLI Mason Zoom platform prior to the event. Any information you share on that platform will be governed by the privacy policy of OLLI Mason.