ALL weather maps and indeed maps nowadays of any kind, have one major feature in common north is always at the top. But for several centuries in the Middle Ages it was obligatory in the western world for map makers to place east atop the page.
The oldest known map, in the accepted sense of the word, was drawn on a clay tablet about 3800 BC, depicting the Euphrates river flowing through the plains of Mesopotamia. It was the Greeks, however, many centuries later, who used their astronomical and mathematical expertise to put cartography on a sound footing. Their skill was then epitomised in the work of and Egyptian, Claudius Ptolemy.
Ptolemy was born about 85 AD and spent most of his longs life in Alexandria. He summarised the cartographical knowledge of the day in his treatise Geographica. For the first time he used a grid system of latitude and longitude to pinpoint the position of geographical, features. His definitive map of the known world, which stretched from Iceland and the Canary islands in the east, to, Ceylon in the west, shows remarkable agreement with the familiar patterns we know today the little island of Hibernia was just apparent at the north east corner.
Understandably enough, Ptolemy's map is centred on Alexandria, but most importantly, north was at the top it is orientated in the direction of the North star, recognising that Polaris was the constant guiding light for voyagers at the time.
During the Middle Ages, however, religious influences came to be predominant, and map makers were constrained by what the Bible had to say on cartographic matters.
It was noticed, for example, that there was reference in Isaiah, Ch. 12 to "the four corners of the earth" which obviously meant that the world was rectangular rather than spherical many contemporary maps reflected this interpretation.
Alternatively, one could follow Ezekiel Ch. V. which declared that "God hath set Jerusalem in the midst of the nations and countries of the world," so pious map makers drew the world as a wheel with the holy city at the hub as a consequence, on local maps, east was always at the top.
In the 14th century, however, cartography escaped stagnation and regression. With the spread of maritime trade band exploration, and increasing reliance on magnetic compasses, more accurate maps began to appear. North once again assumed its place at the top of the page, so that features on the map could be readily aligned with true and magnetic north.