[Hamadaradz Asharhatsuyts] = [Extensive world map] - Vintage map, Norman B. Leventhal Collection

This map is an example of a map from a non-western culture that depicts an Asian world view. Although obviously a hybrid with a strong European influence, this early 18th-century world map was printed entirely with Armenian script. The geographical delineation, however, was based heavily on Dutch maps of the late 17th century. Undated and with no indication of attribution, this map is similar to and may be a reduced version of an ornately decorated eight-sheet map published in Amsterdam in 1695. That map was published by Adrian and Peter Schoonebeck at the request of Archbishop Warthabeth who founded an Armenian printing press in Amsterdam in 1688 for the benefit of Armenians who had migrated from their homeland. Armenians trace their ancient roots to the mountainous area in western Asia, centered in the Caucasus Mountains located between the Black and Caspian Seas. Today, their homeland is divided between the independent country of Armenia (a former republic in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics), Turkey, and Iran.
Courtesy of Boston Public Library