Map O-T

O-T map from the 12th century manuscript of the Isidore Etymology from Seville O-T Map - popular in medieval Europe with a small size map, showing the world schematically as a mound of all seas, a circle divided into three parts representing the then-known continents of Europe, Asia and Africa.

For the first time this type of map appeared as an illustration for the works of Isidore of Seville. Though highly simplified, it corresponded fully to the medieval views of the world: the letter T represented the Greek letter tau, symbolizing the cross of Christ, while the place of joining both parts of the map meant that Jerusalem was considered the center of the world. O-T maps always had an oriental orientation: Asia was at the top, and the lower part of Europe was to the left and Africa to the right. The letter T represents the continental waters: the upper part of the Don and Nile, and the lower Mediterranean. The symmetry of the map was meant to symbolize the harmony of the world, and the letters that consisted of it were often referred to as the abbreviation of the Latin formulation of the Orbis terrarum.

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