I used the David Rumsey Georeferencer map tool to align a historical map of southern Italy and Sicily. My map can be found here: https://davidrumsey.oldmapsonline.org/maps/09e1ab5e-fb38-4359-aadb-4c44a38f3741/georeference
Before creating the map, I didn’t realize how many steps went into making historical maps useable for modern-day digital projects. Adding control points required attention to detail as well as awareness of what stretch would be the most significant and stable to hold, especially since there are a lot of coastlines, islands, and extending limb-like parts of Italy that are harder to account for. What helped navigate this alignment are major cities or defining coastlines like Naples or Bari. The process changed how I perceived mapping because it showed me how technology can connect and oftentimes correct historical maps through georeferencing. This process also helps visualize change over time, from one time period to the next. My map can be accessed as an interactive overlay, making it easy to explore from different perspectives and share. Some mistakes that I made in creating the map were having good anchor points. Although I wasn’t too far off, there were some parts that just didn’t overlap at all. This is mainly because the older map of Italy was moderately inaccurate.
One thing I could possibly improve or change in the future about this map is combining it with measurements such as population, migration, and possibly trading routes. This would help understand the relationship between development and geographic advantage. However, georeferencing has limitations. Old maps are often distorted and biased to the artist’s choice, making them almost impossible to align to a modern-day map. Because of this, georeferenced maps are meant more for curiosity and historical context than precise measurements.
All in all, this project was more insightful than any textual reference about Italy. Seeing locations plotted on both maps made me link relationships more easily than any text. This helps form historical connections between trade routes and cultural exchange that I wouldn’t have otherwise.