The Religious Symbolism Of The T In T-O Map

Abstract
Among world maps surviving from medieval times, the most numerous are the T-O maps. Attributed to a churchman, Isidorus, Bishop of Seville in the 7th century, their design incorporates many elements reflecting Christian doctrine and biblical texts. However, the significance of the T itself as a Christian symbol appears to have escaped description. The T is the form of the tau cross. In modern times, this form of the cross is seldom encountered, but its use as a religious symbol far antedates the Christian era, and then in patristic and medieval times it was in common use by both laymen and the clergy as a sign of Christianity. It is believed that in the medieval T-O maps the T was obvious to contemporary Christians as a symbol of Christianity spanning the known world.

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