Probably created between 700 and 500 BC in southern Iran, the Babylonian Map is considered the oldest surviving map in the world. The map shows the Mesopotamian world with Babylon at the center inside a rectangle and Assyria, Elam, and other places around it. A circular waterway called “Salt-sea” surrounds this central area, and eight triangles representting the eight regions surround the waterway.
Babylonian Map of The World, aka the Imago Mundi, is the oldest surviving map in the world.
While giving information about ancient geography, the map’s actual purpose is to explain the Babylonian view of the mythological world. Accordingly, the cuneiform text describes strange and mythical beasts as well as great heroes who lived in the eight regions.
