Maps have been around ever since humans developed the ability to imagine — and the ingenuity to chart — the larger world around them. Of course, the maps that existed in antiquity don’t necessarily look like the ones we’re used to using today (you can’t drop a pin, for one thing), but many of them are incredibly gorgeous, artistic masterpieces as well as tools. We stumbled across this collection of maps from the 11th to the 14th centuries over at Retronaut and plucked out some of the most interesting ones to show you here. Click through to see some of our favorites, and then head here and here for a veritable treasure trove.
