What's Your Map?

Every society has myths and legends that are passed down through the generations, some of which can be read in features of the landscape. In this episode, Professor Margo Neale guides Jerry around the story of the Seven Sisters: a songline from Australia.  She delves into the intricate symbolism of her map, revealing that it charts not just physical spaces, but also spiritual and ancestral connect...

Mike Yamashita is a distinguished photographer with over 40 years of experience working for National Geographic. Among his stunning collections of works that capture landscapes, peoples, and animals, Mike filmed two documentaries about Marco Polo for National Geographic in 2004 and 2022. In this episode of What's Your Map, Mike and Jerry explore Fra Mauro’s legendary world map from 1450. Measuring...

Have you ever seen a shooting star? Did you know that there are different stars in the sky during winter and summer? In this episode, Dr Heidi Hammel takes Jerry on a jaunt around the constellations, and talks to him about the cutting edge of space exploration. Heidi is an interdisciplinary scientist at NASA and Vice President of Science at the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy...

Matthew Edney, Osher Professor at the University of Maine and Director of the History of Cartography project, takes Jerry to 16th century Amsterdam, where silver from the New World is flowing copiously, and maps have been elevated from the scientific designs to sumptuous works of art.  Joan Blaeu’s vibrant 1662 world map shows the world in twin hemispheres, surrounded by celestial Roman gods, the...

Jerry meets journalist and best-selling author Sathnam Sanghera, to discuss the impact of a single line on a map. Splitting families, communities, and religions, and leading to horrific loss of life and displacement, the Partition of India in 1947 sent shockwaves through Southeast Asia and has been described as the “central historic event” in the region’s recent history. Sathnam examines a map of...

In this episode, Ed Parsons, digital geographer and geospatial wizard at Google, traces the history of digital mapping. He leads Jerry from its roots in Gerard Mercator’s iconic map projection, to the Google Maps we use today – and beyond….   Ed’s chosen map is the “Christian Knight” map, produced in Amsterdam by Jodocus Hondius in 1597. It is the first map to use Mercator’s projection after his d...

From historians, scientists and writers to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries. Join award-winning expert Professor Jerry Brotton, as in each episode he invites a guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and stories behind it. So if you’re fascinated by history, art, advent...

Jerry is joined by self-confessed map geek and wine expert Jane Anson, to talk about the remarkable maps that she created for her book ‘Inside Bordeaux’. Jane travelled the world as a journalist before moving to Bordeaux over twenty years ago. A passionate connoisseur of French wines, she is a writer, critic, and tutor. In this episode, Jane unfurls a beautiful map of the chateaux and terroir of t...

In this episode, Jerry is joined by Adam Lowe, founder of Factum Arte and the Factum Foundation. Factum is a pioneering digital media studio, working to record, preserve, and restore cultural heritage - particularly where it is in a fragile state. Adam’s map is Factum’s re-creation of the world map produced by Muhammad Al-Idrisi for King Roger II of Sicily in the 12th century. The map is two metre...

Content warning: this episode contains references to sexual assault  In this episode, our host Jerry Brotton is joined by writer and pioneering LBGTQ+ rights activist Roz Kaveney.  Roz is best known for her cultural critiques, poetry, fantasy writing, and editing.  From Tolkien's draft map of Rohan from The Lord of the Rings, Jerry and Roz launch into a discussion about the importance of fantasy,...

  In this episode we are joined by Peter Barber, the former head of the British Library's map rooms, which hold more than 4.5 million maps!  Peter is one of the world's foremost experts on European cartography.  He has curated numerous exhibitions, and has written extensively on the history of maps.   Exploring a heart-shaped world map created in 1544 by Gemma Frisius, Jerry and Peter unveil the h...

In this second episode of What’s Your Map? host and map historian Jerry Brotton is joined by Dwayne Fields, the first Black Briton to reach the magnetic North Pole.  Through a map printed in the Times of London in 1909, they recount another journey by African American explorer Matthew Henson, who reputedly was the first person to reach the North Pole back in 1909.  To see a high-definition image o...

Welcome to the first episode of What’s Your Map? where host Jerry Brotton is joined by historian William Dalrymple, who unfurls a beautiful Jain cosmological map to explore the meaning and history of the ancient Indian religion. To see a high-definition image of the map as it’s discussed, please go to: https://oculi-mundi.com/podcast   William untangles Jain beliefs through their cosmological map...

We all want to make sense of this vast and messy world. From etchings on cave walls to sea charts, globes and atlases, humans have been making maps for thousands of years. Join historian Jerry Brotton as he explores the fascinating world of maps. In each episode, we ask our guests to unfold a map that is special to them and tell us the story behind it. Celebrated historian William Dalrymple will j...