Here Begins the Dark Sea: Venice, a Medieval Monk, and the Creation of the Most Accurate Map of the World

In 1459, Venetian monk Fra Mauro created the oldest and most complete Medieval map, the Venetian mappa mundi. This seven-foot-diameter map provided the most detailed description of the known world, incorporating accurate observation and geographic reality. It was the first to show that a ship could circumnavigate Africa and that the Indian "Sea" was an ocean, enabling international trade to expand. Acclaimed anthropologist Meredith F. Small reveals how Fra Mauro's mappamundi made cartography a science, rather than a practice based on religion and ancient myths. This explores the human urge to find our way and highlights the undeniable impact Fra Mauro and his mappamundi have had over the past five centuries and still holds relevance today.

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