Memory of the World: The treasures that record our history from 1700 BC to the present day. UNESCO
The three volumes belonged to Hamburg Cathedral until 1784, when they were bought at auction by the Royal Library in Copenhagen.
Inscribed 2007
What is it
A medieval map of the world on one sheet of vellum and featuring about 500 illustrations. Produced in England at either Lincoln or Hereford, the map is thought to have been made between c. 1290 and 1310.
Why was it inscribed
The Hereford Mappa Mundi is the only complete example of a large medieval world map intended for public display. The presentation of its information, in the form of a visual map-based encyclopedia, gives a crucial insight not only into medieval cartography but also into contemporary spirituality and the medieval worldview.
Where is it
Hereford Cathedral Library, Hereford, UK
The Hereford Mappa Mundi is the largest and most detailed surviving of the medieval genre of maps known as ‘mappae mundi’ and the most famous of its kind still in existence. ‘Mappa mundi’ was a term used in medieval times for a map of the world, ‘mappa’ meaning ‘cloth’.
Just as modern maps reflect our worldview, so did the cartography of medieval times. Unlike maps today, mappae mundi did not attempt an accurate representation of the physical landscape; rather, they showed the world as it was perceived and understood. Like other aspects of learning and education of the time, maps were intended as a spiritual tool and displayed the faith and devotion that were an integral part of the way contemporary people interpreted the world and their place in it.
The deeply spiritual and religious worldview of the medieval mind, expressed in the map interprets the world and everything in it as subject to God and part of an eternal order, with humans destined for death and judgement. The map depicts the earth as a circle, with Jerusalem, the place of Christ’s crucifixion, death and resurrection, at its centre, marked with the cross of Calvary. Outside the boundary of the world Christ sits in judgement at the top with the letters ‘m o r s’ (Latin for ‘death’) around the outside. Angels welcome the saved and turn away the unrepentant.
Within the circle of the world, physical features, places, scripture, mythology and imagination blend in a compendium of knowledge. Facts on history, flora and fauna, real and fictional races of people of unknown lands and tales from classical times feature alongside religious and Biblical content.
Five hundred drawings illustrate these themes, including around 420 depictions of towns and cities, outlined by walls and towers; fifteen illustrations of events from the Bible; thirty-three pictures of plants, animals, birds and fish; thirty-two illustrations of peoples of the earth; and eight images from classical mythology. Seas and rivers are coloured blue or green, with the exception of the Red Sea which is red, while the writing is black with red and gold embellishments. Hereford is depicted by a drawing of its cathedral. The author’s name, ‘Richard of Haldingham or Lafford’, is inscribed on the map.
According to another inscription on the map, it was based on a description of the world from the works of Orosius (c. AD 375), a student of St Augustine at Hippo. In addition to his spiritual, Biblical and theological knowledge, Orosius had studied the works of classic Roman authors, including Caesar, Livy and Tacitus. The Mappa Mundi is based on the synthesis of this learning.
The Mappa Mundi was not intended for use as a geographical tool, but was probably displayed in a wooden frame for educational reasons. The map was one of the latest of its genre: later large-scale medieval maps, for example the Catalan World Map of c.1375, differ from mappae mundi in that they are based on the portolan charts drawn up by sailors and consequently depict coastlines more accurately.
The King Ram Khamhaeng inscription
Inscribed 2003
What is it
A siltstone from the royal palace grounds of the old city of Sukhothai. Its four sides bear the oldest known inscription in the Thai language in Sukhothai scripts which celebrates the achievements of King Ram Khamhaeng (1279–98).
Why was it inscribed
This inscription’s significance comes from the light it throws on the reign of King Khamhaeng from a Thai perspective and on the use of the Thai script. It is evocative of its time and place in the context of Southeast Asia and China which form an important strand of world history.
Where is it
National Museum, Bangkok, Thailand
The King Ram Khamhaeng inscription of 1292 records the invention of Thai language script that is the foundation of the modern script used in Thailand by 60 million people. Its detailed description of the 13th-century Thai state of Sukhothai also reflects universal values shared by many states in the world today. Those values include good governance, the rule of law, economic freedom and religious morality through the practice of Buddhism.
The National Museum, Bangkok, Thailand.
The King Ram Khamhaeng inscription as displayed in the National Museum, Bangkok.
Carved in siltstone, the inscription stands nearly 115 cm high with four sides, each about 36 cm wide, and is topped by a quadrilateral pyramid. The first and second sides have thirty-five lines of inscription and the third and fourth sides, twenty-seven lines. The inscription is a rare piece of historical evidence of King Ram Khamhaeng’s invention of the script for the Thai language. The long inscription successfully describes both facts and values to demonstrate the script’s versatility and its ability to convey verbal expression into written words. It is generally agreed that Thai scripts were first adapted from Pallava scripts in the 9th century. They were then broken into two branches: one was associated with Mon and the other with Khmer scripts. Sukhothai writing combined the two lines. The Ram Khamhaeng inscription is the earliest linguistic evidence of this development. As the writing system continued to evolve after the 13th century, the inscription is best considered as a prototype of the Thai script that was later continuously modified.
The content of the inscription can be divided into three parts. The first part from line 1 to line 18 describes the personal background and heroic deeds of King Ram Khamhaeng from his birth to his accession to the throne. Although direct inheritance was the main principle for the legitimate assumption of power, King Ram Khamhaeng added that filial piety and bravery were his personal virtues (hence the name ‘khamhaeng’ meaning brave). The personal pronoun ‘I’ is used throughout. The second part from line 18 on the first side to line 8 on the fourth side describes the various aspects of Sukhothai city in detail – physical, political, religious and social. The detailed description suggests an idyllic place, perhaps to match the vision of an ideal state and society, and is a globally rare source of urban history for that period. The third part from line 8 to the last line 27 on the fourth side glorifies the king as the inventor of the Thai script and the ruler of an extensive kingdom.