Maps are graphic interpretations of real or imagined
space. Although utilitarian by nature, they are of
intrinsic aesthetic and artistic value. In addition
to their material qualities, they are constructs of
the human mind at a specific time and in a specific
culture. Traditionally judged on the basis of their
Cartesian rather than artistic qualities, maps are
categorised by their spatial accuracy according to a
positivist construct. This criterion has recently
been re-examined to address mapmaking across
cultures and through time. A new definition
developed by the History of Cartography Project not
only treats maps as material culture, but further
broadens the concept of the map to include all
artifacts that depict space.1 In this
theoretical framework, maps discovered in
archaeological contexts are rare artifacts that
provide a window into the minds of their makers and
users, the way in which space was perceived, as well
as the relevance and function of maps in ancient
societies. By definition, this is an attempt to
address an emic perspective.2