Early Real World City Maps

[LordRatcatcher]

Hi

I'm new here and not sure this is the correct forum for real world map questions, but here goes...

When did maps of cities and town in the real world stop showing buildings (and other objects) in 3D and start having them 'flat' as we see in maps today?

e.g. This map of London from 1658 shows buildings in 3D (albeit on a fairly flat street map)

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped..._Faithorne.jpg

...whereas this one from 1677 is entirely flat.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...ap_of_1677.jpg

I've not been able to find any before this time that show buildings flat, directly from above. Are they any examples people know of?

[Wingshaw]

This seems more like a thread for the general discussion forum, but I don't think that matters much.

European maps of cities are extremely rare prior to the 1500s (I can't speak for the rest of the world), and, as you point out, mostly isometric. I'm sure there are the occasional scattered city maps earlier than that, and probably with a high degree of abstraction. I have a feeling that maps of Chinese and Indian cities might give you some top-down (but very abstracted/simplified) examples, but can't be sure.

The earliest European city map I know of is the Forma Urbis Romae, which was carved on marble in ancient Rome ca.203-211. Unfortunately, only fragments exist from that map, but it still gives an idea. And this is definitely a top-down/plan view of a city.

Hope that helps.

Wingshaw

[LordRatcatcher]

This seems more like a thread for the general discussion forum, but I don't think that matters much.

European maps of cities are extremely rare prior to the 1500s (I can't speak for the rest of the world), and, as you point out, mostly isometric. I'm sure there are the occasional scattered city maps earlier than that, and probably with a high degree of abstraction. I have a feeling that maps of Chinese and Indian cities might give you some top-down (but very abstracted/simplified) examples, but can't be sure.

The earliest European city map I know of is the Forma Urbis Romae, which was carved on marble in ancient Rome ca.203-211. Unfortunately, only fragments exist from that map, but it still gives an idea. And this is definitely a top-down/plan view of a city.

Hope that helps.

Wingshaw

Thank you. That's very helpful. I was shown a plan-style 1642 map of London after posting, but I haven't seen anything earlier (besides the Forma Urbis Romae you mention)

The reason I ask is that I'm currently involved in a D&D campaign where a couple of the characters own maps of the city it's set in. I wondered whether it would be realistic for them to own maps in a 'top-down/plan' style given that it's a kinda European/late middle age setting. Obviously "realistic" is used loosely - this is D&D, magic, monsters and all that!

[ChickPea]

There's a flat one here from 1642/43:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F..._RMG_S0507.jpg

Some other old maps here (though many are iso): http://mapco.net/london.htm

[Chlodowech]

The probably oldest european flat city map after the roman ones is the so-called Albertinian Plan (Albertinischer Plan) of Vienna (and Bratislava) made in 1421/22. It only shows the city walls and main sights though.

[Impractical Cartographer]

Well. Let's go back to the beginning.

This ancient clay tablet dates to the 14th-13th century BC (yes, it's more than 3000 years ago!). It shows a map of the countryside around the Mesopotamian city of Nippur, located in the middle of the southern Mesopotamia floodplain, near the modern city of Diwaniyah, Iraq. The first known map with a preserved scale.

P.S. This map represents a quarter of the city to the east of the Shatt-en-Nil canal. This quarter was enclosed within its own walls, a city within a city, forming an irregular square, with sides roughly 820 m long, separated from the other quarters, and from the country to the north and east, by canals on all sides, with broad quays along the walls. A smaller canal divided this quarter of the city itself into two parts. In the south-eastern part, in the middle of its southeast side, stood the temple, while in the northwest part, along the Shatt-en-Nil, two great storehouses are indicated. The temple proper, according to this plan, consisted of an outer and inner court, each covering approximately 8 acres (32,000 m2), surrounded by double walls, with a ziggurat on the north-western edge of the latter.