The middle of f82r as death or resurrection

[Koen G]

Searcher: there is certainly something universalist about the VM in general. As if the symbolism is limited to the bare (literally) minimum. Perhaps it needed to be acceptable for people of various backgrounds. However, I am nearly certain that at least one of the sources used for this section was Greco-Egyptian in origin.

About the orientation of the compass, keep in mind that the imperative of north=up has not always existed everywhere. This BBC article provides a good overview: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.

Given such a long history of human map-making, it is perhaps surprising that it is only within the last few hundred years that north has been consistently considered to be at the top. In fact, for much of human history, north almost never appeared at the top, according to Jerry Brotton, a map historian from Queen Mary University, London and author of A History of the World in Twelve Maps. “North was rarely put at the top for the simple fact that north is where darkness comes from,” he says. “West is also very unlikely to be put at the top because west is where the sun disappears.”

The Portolan charts, which might be relevant to the VM, were not meant to have one way up. they were taken in hand and turned around and even viewed from the back (through the translucent vellum). According to the article, even Columbus (who postdates the VM ) thought of east as up.


Marco: stars with tails are common indeed, but blue stars are relatively rare. So are two stars being connected by a line.