Strange Maps

I came across a great blog called Strange Maps the other day.  It’s about exactly what you’d expect…maps that are strange.  They post daily and give great background on each post.  The first post I read was a map from the antebellum period, proposing a series of dams to close off the Mediterranean Sea and unite Europe with Africa, giving power and global pull to Europe as America and Asia were making advances.  Crazy stuff.

This is the post from today, and I thought it was an arresting image.  It’s a depiction of Homer’s concept of geography as expressed in The Iliad.  He saw the inhabited world encircled by a single ocean named Okeanos, and the earth encased in what looks like a fancy snow-globe.

Homer’s ideas show that the ancient Greeks had a good understanding of their immediate surroundings, and with the knowledge available to them, came to very logical conclusions as to the earth’s form.

Beyond all the cool history and impressive Greeks, this depiction is just beautiful.  It looks peaceful, serene, and surreal floating in space on this faded sepia image.  It’s simplicity is what catches my attention, and where its beauty lies.

I enjoy being reminded that while this is an ingenious design, it falls monumentally short of the true design of the universe.  This is as close as some of the most brilliant people in history could come to understanding the created world, and in retrospect, our fancy discoveries will look equally simplistic in a few thousand years.  Our Creator is truly infinite and far, far, far too wonderful for us to ever hope to comprehend.  He is great, and worthy to be praised.

-Grace and Peace