How and when did humans start knowing what the world looked like before seeing Earth in space? Like how did they know Europe or North America, for example, were shaped the way they were exactly.

by phancdp

I'd also be interested in seeing a timeline of world maps from the ancient egyptians or ancient romans in what they thought the world looked like, all the way to the modern era (world war 1).

Searocksandtrees

Hi! Hopefully someone can direct you to some great resources for historical maps, but meanwhile, you may be interested in checking out threads here: there are many examples of maps from various points in history, and explanations of how cartography (map-making) developed over time