Map Software?

[Kromovaracun]

I want to create some decent-looking historical maps (they need to look presentable), but I have never touched map-making software in my life and I have no idea where to start.

Any suggestions? I'm happy to invest time learning how to use something difficult if the end result is decent.

[douglas9401]

Invest time learning how to use map making software?

[Kromovaracun]

Yes. Why not?

[Kromovaracun]

In case it isn't obvious, I have never gone anywhere near this before and have no idea what I am doing. Am wondering if anyone who does could point me in the right direction.

[douglas9401]

Ah, should have put the smiley in, I often forget.

[Old_Geezer]

Doubt many have tried. Could you not get a printout of a real ancient map from the web ?

[Grumpa]

I'm not sure quite what you want toachieve byt is this any use to you.

https://maps.nls.uk/about.html

Although it's the National Library of Scotland they hold georeferenced maps for the UK.

[Zacs-Master]

There's a website called Old Maps (No Schist I heart you cry) but it is really rather good and may form a basis for your project.
https://www.old-maps.co.uk/#/


You could print them off and stain them with tea!

[Buenchico]

It might help us if we understood a bit more about the type of maps that you're seeking to create. (After all, old maps already exist; they don't need to be 'created').

Are you seeking to end up with something like street maps from the 1900s (perhaps annotated to your requirements) or, say, maps showing national borders in Europe in the 1700s. (For both of those there are existing maps available for which you to base your own designs on). Or are you seeking to do some research and produce entirely new maps of something?

It might also help to know where the maps will be appearing. If you're just producing them for, say, a university thesis you could probably get away with ignoring copyright restrictions and basing them around published maps. However if they're to appear in a published book, or on a website, then copyright problems will need to be addressed.

My gut feeling here is that what you'll end up needing isn't actually mapping software but a decent desktop publishing program (to enable you to adapt existing maps to your personal needs) but without further information it's hard to point you towards any particular software.

[Kromovaracun]

Thanks all.

The project I have in mind, to be more specific, is creating political or economic maps as a resource for studying Eastern European history. Think something like this:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/Kievan-rus-1015-1113-%28en%29.png

https://i.imgur.com/SFGPluw.png

https://i.imgur.com/FaMd4mN.jpg

Wikimedia maps, for example, all seem to be made along very similar lines, which suggests there is a common piece of software or at the very least a common template. But they do seem to be crowdsourced and made by individual users.

I have no idea whatsoever how these are created and have never dabbled in it before. I don't even know where to begin looking to start learning. But I think they would be a useful supplement to some lectures/talks I want to write, and I'd like them to be of uniform style and customisable to match the content I end up producing - which means either making them myself or paying someone else to do it.

[Buenchico]

There's no metadata in the images you've linked to (which might have given a clue as to how they were created) but it looks to me as if GIS (geographic information system) software has been used.

The number one freebie for GIS is undoubtedly QGIS:
https://qgis.org/en/site/

Brief beginner's guide here:
https://gisgeography.com/open-source-qgis-review-guide/

Full manual here:
https://docs.qgis.org/2.14/en/docs/training_manual/

Half-hour introductory video below (but there's loads more on Youtube as well):

[Kromovaracun]

Thank you!