An old map is a map printed over 100 years ago by one of three main processes. The earliest maps were generally printed from a wooden block cut in relief and then inked. When a map includes positive signs of the age such as paper that appear old, evidence of binding; show-through of the color; and signs of soiling, damage, or wear. The symptoms that a maps is a modern reproduction include a paper that appears bright white, smooth, or hard and any stylish printed labels or annotations in the margins.
The difference between an old map and a new map?
The old maps is made according to the land surveys and their shapes, having no lines of longitude and latitude. New maps are in many categories, such as thematic, physical, and the political. The modern maps show the nature of a particular place, designed by adopting satellite pictures.
An old maps includes the physical features and civilizations that no longer exist today. They focus on a more extensive physical area than the northern maps does. The old map of Florida is much more accurate and reliable than the modern maps.
Importance of an Old map
Historians utilize historical maps for various reasons, including To the degree that maps give records of features, landscapes, cities, and locations that may no longer exist or survive in profoundly modified forms. In addition, they are valuable tools for recreating the past as documentation of specific historical events and relationships.
Suppose you wonder how a maps was designed in old times when technologies were not much in use. Then we will love to let you know that in the past, maps were made of wood and stone, with details carved directly into the surface, while others were molded in sand and clay to give 3D reliefs. Many native cultures created maps of the areas in which they traveled.
Basic features of maps
Almost every maps is unique, but most have five standard main components. Each component of the maps, from the title to the compass rose, instructs you how to interpret it.
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MAPS TITLE AND HEADING
The maps title, also known as the heading, of a map is at the top of the maps. It lets you know exactly what the map is describing. The heading will be in a large font and explain what the map is for.
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MAPS KEY AND LEGEND
All the symbols on the maps define as the map key or maps legend. However, these two terms are interchangeable, but some contain a key and a legend. These symbols make it much easier to read the maps because there are no complex wordings. Usually, the key and the legend area on the off side of the maps tell you what each symbol represents.
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SCALE INDICATOR
Usually, maps are much smaller than the actual locations they show, so the distance on a map is much smaller than the exact distance. The scale indicator, or scale, lets us know how a unit of measurement on the map relates to a team of measures in real life. Often, a scale looks like a bar or a line with numbers evenly spaced out. It will tell you what distance on the map equals what length in reality.
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GRID
A grid of a map is a series of fictitious horizontal and vertical lines sketched onto the map. Also, these grids may represent actual latitudes and longitudes, or they may just split the map into smaller parts. Grid lines labels at one end or each end.
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COMPASS ROSE OR NORTH ARROW
The orientation of a map is essential to know. However, a tool that represents the fundamental directions, or at least which way is North, is included on most maps. For example, you may see an arrow labeled ‘N’ for North or a compass rose. It looks like a big star and shows North, South, East, and West.
Worth of an old map
The old map is generally the more valuable. However, using age as the sole basis for valuation is very dangerous. For example, maps from the 1500s can be had for under dollar two hundred, while 1800s maps are worth many thousand dollars and vice-versa.
