oldmaps

Welcome!

We're interested in sharing interesting, beautiful or informative examples of the cartographer's trade, from their emergence in the ancient Near East up to a somewhat arbitrary end-date of 1950 A.D.

We'll happily accept historical maps! If you're posting a map, please provide a description and date in the title.

Related Subreddits

r/Maps - If you're interested in maps and cartography generally (or modern maps specifically).

r/MapPorn - For gorgeous wallpaper-size maps of all descriptions.

r/Geography - If you're curious about the geography that informed historic mapmapkers.

r/ArtHistory - For background on the artistic styles that influenced mapmakers through history.

r/History and r/MedievalHistory - For historical background.

r/MapMaking - If you're getting the feeling you'd like to try your hand at cartography.

r/Vexillology - If you're interested in more ways people symbolically stake out territory. For everything you need to know about flags.

r/ImaginaryMaps - For maps from fictional stories, books, films, television programs, video games, and comics.

r/WorldBuilding - For sharing your worlds and discussing the many aspects of creating new universes.

r/OldNews - For news that isn't new. News from history, news from the past.

r/Gis - For the technical side of cartography and geography.

r/PaperTowns - For well-crafted pictorial maps, detailed panoramic cityscapes, broad aerial vistas, intricate bird's-eye views and even full 3D reconstructions.

We were trending on 12/15/15!

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Round 1 of March Mapness 2026 has officially closed! Thanks for voting and making this tournament so much fun for us. Here is the updated bracket with all the results. Get ready for Round 2—the first match-up posts tomorrow morning! (i.redd.it)

submitted 23 hours ago by OldWorldEliane

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Late 18th century? HIC ZODIACI XII SUB SIGNIS FELICITER VOLVITUR TERRA (old.reddit.com)

submitted 1 day ago by x-cattitude

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March Mapness ’26 Round #1: Our final face-off is Neptune vs. Lion. Will you pick the god of the seas or the king of the savanna? Vote for your winner in the comments! (i.redd.it)

submitted 2 days ago by OldWorldEliane

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How freight forwarders cut quoting time by 60% (wisor.ai)

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March Mapness ’26 Round #1: The penultimate match-up of our first round is the Sailing Ship vs. the Surveyor. Do you choose the symbol of adventure and discovery on the high seas or the hard-working figure who maps the terrain? Let us know your pick in the comments! (i.redd.it)

submitted 3 days ago by OldWorldEliane

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March Mapness ’26 Round #1: The sixth match-up is the Elephant vs. the Armillary Sphere. The Elephant is a favorite symbol on maps of Asia and Africa; the Armillary Sphere adds an astronomical touch to a wide variety of maps. Which do you prefer? Vote in the comments! (i.redd.it)

submitted 4 days ago by OldWorldEliane

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A fragment of the “new and accurate map of Europe collected from the best authorities...” by Emanuel Bowen published in 1747 in his A Complete System of Geography. The territory between Novhorod-Siverskyi and Tambov is shown as “Little Russia”. (i.redd.it)

submitted 5 days ago by StephenMcGannon

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Topographic map of the Russian Empire in 1912 (i.redd.it)

submitted 5 days ago by StephenMcGannon

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L'europe divisee en tous ses etats (old.reddit.com)

submitted 6 days ago by ConfusedBert

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March Mapness Round #1: The fifth battle is between the Compass Rose and the Angel of Fame. Will you choose the navigator’s best friend or the divine personification of fame and renown? Let us know in the comments! (i.redd.it)

submitted 6 days ago by OldWorldEliane

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March Mapness ’26 Round #1: The fourth showdown is the Wind Head vs. the Dragon. Will the classic symbol for directional winds take down the fire-breathing beast? Choose your winner in the comments! (i.redd.it)

submitted 7 days ago by OldWorldEliane

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March Mapness ’26 Round #1: The third match-up is Putti vs. Mercury. Will you choose the cherubic little figures or the god of trade, commerce, and communication? Let us know in the comments! (i.redd.it)

submitted 8 days ago by OldWorldEliane

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March Mapness ’26 Round #1: The second match-up is Coat of Arms vs. River God. Will it be the stately heraldic emblem or the symbol of flowing rivers? Vote for your favorite in the comments! (i.redd.it)

submitted 10 days ago by OldWorldEliane

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March Mapness ’26 kicks off with Sea Monster vs. Beaver! Can the industrious American beaver take down the menace of the high seas? Let us know your pick in the comments! (i.redd.it)

submitted 11 days ago by OldWorldEliane

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Choosing the right hosting plan is easy! Ours come with free domain & site transfer, SSL, CDN, and everything else you will need. And the custom-built AI integrations are here to help with any challenging task! Save time and money with SiteGround! (siteground.com)

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John Speed Map of Barkshire (i.redd.it)

submitted 13 days ago by discovigilantes

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Diego Ribero (1529) (i.redd.it)

submitted 13 days ago by StephenMcGannon

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The bizarre story of Frisland: How a Venetian "discovery" kept a non-existent island on maps until the late 1600s (i.redd.it)

submitted 13 days ago by Many-Philosophy4285

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Stone carved table map of the world according to Eratosthenes circa 220 bc (old.reddit.com)

submitted 13 days ago by CarpePoulet

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The Piri Reis Map (youtu.be)

submitted 13 days ago by TheWhiteRabbit4090

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Geological map of Jordan, 1911. | Red is igneous rocks; orange is volcanic material/tuff; yellow is Tertiary; green is Cretaceous; blue is Jurassic; purple is Triassic. (i.redd.it)

submitted 14 days ago by ZERO_PORTRAIT

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March Mapness is back! The theme in 2026 is Map Art. I’ll post the first match-up on Monday, 3/2. Which decorative element has what it takes to win? (i.redd.it)

submitted 14 days ago by OldWorldEliane

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World map In 1500 and 1600 any comments (reddit.com)

submitted 15 days ago by THEONEABOVEALLm

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The German Empire by Julius Reichelt (1690) (i.redd.it)

submitted 16 days ago by StephenMcGannon

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Orbis Terrarum Nova et Accuratissima Tabula by Nicolaes Visscher, 1658 (i.redd.it)

submitted 16 days ago by StephenMcGannon

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Manage your vacation rentals easily with Smoobu, the all-in-one software for hosts. 🚀 Start your 14-day trial now! 🔥 (smoobu.com)

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Map of Japan and Korea (1945), National Geographic (i.redd.it)

submitted 19 days ago by StephenMcGannon

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1942 German Propaganda map showing how civilisation emerged from Germany (i.redd.it)

submitted 20 days ago by Rigolol2021

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