[kinsman redeemer]

There's an interesting story behind the use of the term "Orient." Whether it is true or not, I leave to you.

Sometime in the Middle Ages, the Pope declared (because he does these things) that only a certain kind of map could be used to portray the known world. These were called "T in O" maps.

Here's one now:

People like to orient maps so that North is at the top. Notice that "Asia" is right up top on the Papal-approved map?

Coincidence?

[Verginius Rufus]

I think the idea was to make the map look like the letters O and T. For orbis terrarum?

Nice clean map but a little lacking in detail. It's hard to make out the "boot" of the Italian peninsula, for example.