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Babylonian Map of the World: The oldest known map of the ancient world

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Name: Babylonian Map of the World ("Imago Mundi" in Latin)

What it is: A clay tablet inscribed with the oldest known map of the ancient world

Where it is from: Abu Habba (Sippar), an ancient Babylonian city in what is now Iraq

When it was made: Approximately the sixth century B.C.

Related: Ancient Egyptian head cones: Mysterious headgear that could be related to sensuality and fertility rituals

What it tells us about the past:

This tablet, which depicts how Babylonians perceived the world thousands of years ago, is peppered with details that offer insight into an earlier time. For example, the ancient world is shown as a singular disc, which is encircled by a ring of water called the Bitter River. At the world's center sits the Euphrates River and the ancient Mesopotamian city of Babylon. Labels written in cuneiform, an ancient text, note each location on the map, according to The British Museum. 

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