The first Bible to feature a map of the Holy Land was published 500 years ago in 1525. The map was initially printed the wrong way round—showing the Mediterranean to the East—but its inclusion set a ...

Is the Bible really responsible for early-modern mapmaking?

Lucas Cranach the Elder’s 1525 map is the first ever printed in a bible, but there’s just one problem: it was printed backwards. The document nonetheless stands as a transition point between the ...

Nathan MacDonald does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond ...

Coloring the world into tidy blocks with sharp edges feels natural today. Nations look solid on a classroom map. But that way of seeing the planet had to be learned, and a surprising teacher helped ...

15:17, Sun, Aug 30, 2020 Updated: 15:17, Sun, Aug 30, 2020 The Madaba Map, or the Madaba Mosaic Map, is a sixth century AD depiction of the Holy Land, believed to be among the oldest known portrayals ...

The first ever map in the Bible still influences how we think about borders today – despite being printed the wrong way round 500 years ago, a new study reveals. Nathan MacDonald, professor of ...

Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story: One of civilization’s greatest tools, maps have defined human progress since the beginning of recorded history. From the Babylonian Map of the ...

UNDER STRICT EMBARGO UNTIL 19:01 US ET ON FRIDAY 28TH NOVEMBER 2025 / 00:01 UK (GMT) ON SATURDAY 29TH NOVEMBER 2025 The first Bible to feature a map of the Holy Land was published 500 years ago in ...