Maps and History

"The history and pre-history of the historical atlas are commonly understood in Western terms.  The first known historical atlas is generally given as the Parergon of Abraham Ortelius, published in Antwerp in 1579, initially as part of his general atlas, but from 1624 as a separate work. 

Yet it is also possible to draw attention to independent developments in China.  The first map in China dates from about 2100 BC and appeared on the outside of a ding (ancient cooking vessel), and a map of a graveyard produced between 323-15 BC was uncovered in a tomb in 1977.  Maps in China certainly became more common under the Western (or 'Former') Han dynasty (206 BC - AD 9), although very few have survived from before the twelfth century."

From page 2 of Maps and History: Constructing Images of the Past, by Jeremy Black, published by Yale University Press.