culture on the one hand, and on the other shared in the expand-
ing commerce of the Mediterranean. To one of them, Anaxi-
mander, was traditionally ascribed the construction of the first
Greek map early in the sixth century B.C. The first reference
in western literature to a map occurs in Herodotus' account
of the interview between Aristagoras, tyrant of Miletus, and the
Spartans, whose help he was seeking against the Persians.
According to Herodotus, Aristagoras produced a bronze
tablet on which was inscribed "the circumference of the whole
earth, the whole sea, and all the rivers". When, however, the
Spartans learned that Susa, the Persian capital, was three
months' march from the Mediterranean coast, they refused to
listen further to him!

Our knowledge of the form and content of Greek maps,
apart from those of Ptolemy, is based upon references in the
writings of historians and geographers. From these it has been
deduced that the Greeks possessed from an early date written
itineraries and also itinerary maps of their main trading routes
in the eastern Mediterranean region. Similarly they certainly
had written descriptions of the coasts sailed by their merchant
skippers, but they do not seem to have constructed sailing
charts. As the voyages were mainly along the coasts, no doubt
written directions were preferred to charts, especially as, owing
to lack of precise instruments, the charts could not be very
accurate. There are, at least, no clear references to marine
charts. Information gleaned from sailors, however, contributed
much to the general maps, in which the coastlines necessarily
formed a considerable element.

The itinerary maps showed the stages along important
routes, for example, from the Mediterranean sea coast through
Asia Minor to the Persian capital at Susa. This was represented
as a straight line, with indications of the main features of the
country on each side of it. From sectional maps such as this, a
general map of the known world was built up. How this was
done has been shown by Sir John Myres from a study of
Herodotus. It was first sought to establish a few fundamental
lines, corresponding roughly to our parallels and meridians.
One such parallel was the royal road to Susa mentioned above;
others were provided by lists of peoples who were supposed to

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