h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

do we owe our success to greed?

E.g. the only reason that humans started to produce maps was to calculate how much of the world that there empire controlled.

Greed has shaped the world we live in today. in a way it has brought success, depending on how you look at it. for example, the british empire brought success to Britain, but to many of the invaded countries it brought great depression unfair and unfair treatment.depends on how you look at it.

They're our rivals.

Define greed. Is wanting a roof over your head greed?

I´d say maps were created to help people find out where the hell they were.

having a roof over your head is def not greed.
i seen a program last night that said that the first maps that were made was to see what area of the world they controlled.
scientist of the time were told to calculate and map the area of the world that the ruler didnt control.

Which ruler?

cant remember his name it was too long, but he was one of the greatest rulers of ancient islam, who also introduced maths into science to calculate the circumfrence of the globe.

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Wow, that's interesting. So the Caliphate predated Ancient Greece?

Actually, to answer the OP, I think people are just as concerned as how they're doing relative to their peers as with their absolute standard of living.

Especially once they *have* a decent standard of living.

no they didnt predate them, but they studied what knowledge that they had at the time and combined it with there knowledge to improve and expand on it.

When was this ruler meant to have lived? The Romans had maps.

It was slightly before the romans(i cant give you a date at the moment, ill get back to you on that) but if you notice that roman maps are only of their empire.
But the romans didnt no the circumfrence of the world, where as the ancient islams knew it to within 3 miles.

Islam is from the 6th century AD. Do you mean ancient Persians?
I was looking at a roman map of India, that was never part of their empire.

The Greeks worked out the Earth's circumference quite accurately before 200BC


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eratosthenes

There's a link from that link to Erasthones' mappa mundi.

your right i think it was Persians, but not to sure.
that map is a late map most probably copied from alexander.

Those late comers! Australian Aboriginal cultures made songlines to know where they and the land were. They've been around for some 50,000 years.

Guess it depends on what you mean by maps.

I suspect that maps (as opposed to diagrams or plans) were originally intended to ensure that people could get back to where they started from.

PP

Or to remind them where food and other necessaries were. Or how the land goes when travelling from point to point.