Ordnance Survey – Great Britain's national mapping agency

Academic to investigate ancient navigation technique

09 August 2007

A university historian is to conduct a detailed investigation into the art of cosmography.

The practice is thought to have combined geography, history and astronomy to produce an ancient form of navigation technique.

Cosmography gained popularity some 500 years ago, before mysteriously dying out in the 17th century.

Dr Adam Mosley, a lecturer at Swansea University®, told the BBC®: ‘In the 16th century cosmography was commonly represented as a subject that comprised geography, astronomy and history, but at some point that changed and scholars preferred to refer to the individual subjects as distinct disciplines in their own right.

‘You can argue that the Global Positioning Systems (GPS) in use today are a modern form of cosmography as they combine geography and astronomy to give users precise locations.’

Dr Mosley is also keen to investigate the possible links between cosmography and the way sailors used to navigate by using the stars.

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