The basic deep cultural tradition of "western civilization" placed east at
the top of the map, which is the "natural" *ORIENTATION* when one faces
the rising sun. This was common to many cultures. The switch to a north-
south up-down orientation apparntly relates to the use of the magnetic
compass. The choice of north or south being up may have been influenced by
"our" hemisphere being placed at the top, I'm not sure about that.
David
On Sun, 10 Dec 2000, michael donner wrote:
> seriously
> does anyone know
> if western civ had arisen in the south rather than the north
> wouldnt our maps now be upside down
> & wouldnt all compasses point south
>
> m
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