PHAS/Universal Images Group via Getty Images The first world atlas Ptolemy’s Geographia But the Babylonian Map of the World is the earliest example of a political map used to champion a country or city. Other early maps served more practical needs, such as the stick and shell charts built to denote currents around islands in the South Pacific over 2,000 years ago, or the Egyptian papyrus maps that led miners through the desert in the 12th century B.C. Though its geography is limited, this map reveals the inherent bias of mapmakers to place themselves at the literal center of the world. Babylon, likely the world’s most populous city at the time, is surrounded by neighboring cities represented by small circles, all within a greater circle to denote the ocean. The 5-inch stone tablet is centered around Babylon, the wide rectangle, which straddles the Euphrates River, depicted by the crooked lines running from top to bottom. The oldest surviving world map depicts the worldview of Babylonians circa 600 B.C. Fine Art Images/Heritage Images Getty Images
