What's Your Map?

About What's Your Map?

From historians, scientists and writers to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries. Winner of the Gold award at the British Podcast Awards 2025 in the Education category! Join award-winning expert Professor Jerry Brotton, as in each episode he invites a guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and stories behind it. So if you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - What’s your map? What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique maps and atlases. For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast (http://www.Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast) to explore each of the maps as you listen. Follow the official Instagram @oculimundimaps (https://instagram.com/oculimundimaps) to learn more about the collection. For press enquiries, contact podcast@oculi-mundi.com (mailto:podcast@oculi-mundi.com)

Publisher

Oculi Mundi

Category

arts · history · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

3 Sept 2024

Latest episode

28 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

45 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   28 Oct 2026

   S6 Ep5: Waldseemüller: Armchair Explorer with Chet Van Duzer

   Jerry speaks to esteemed map historian and author Chet Van Duzer. As well as having written many books on maps and map motifs, Chet is the Associate Director of the Lazarus Project at the University of Rochester, which brings multispectral imaging - a technology for recovering information from damaged manuscripts - to cultural institutions around the world In this episode, Jerry and Chet discuss a monumental world map from 1516 that has been subject to an indepth investigation by Chet: Martin Waldseemüller’s Carta Marina. Published just nine years after his landmark 1507 map of the world (known as the ‘birth certificate of America’), the Carta Marina is an extraordinary map that exists in one surviving copy at the Library of Congress. Together Jerry and Chet talk about why Waldseemüller revised his world map so thoroughly, what sources he used and why. We also hear about how Chet himself became immersed in the world of maps, and how his current role as Director of the Lazarus Project sees him shining a (multi-spectral) light on some great cartographic mysteries. Follow along with this episode at oculi-mundi.com/chet-van-duzer (http://oculi-mundi.com/chet-van-duzer) From historians, scientists and writers, to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries. Join us as map historian Jerry Brotton invites each guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and personal stories behind it. If you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - what’s YOUR map? The award-winning What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique cartography. For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast (http://oculi-mundi.com/podcast) to explore each of the maps as you listen, and find more information and rabbit-holes about each guest. Image detail: Public Domain, via the Library of Congress. Portrait courtesy of Chet Van Duzer. All views and opinions expressed by guests on the podcast are entirely their own and do not represent those of The Sunderland Collection or Whistledown Productions.

2. 

   13 Oct 2026

   S6 Ep4: At Doom’s Gate with John Romero

   In this episode, Jerry will be joined by pioneer of the video game industry John Romero. John is best known as a co-founder of id Software, and responsible for designing over 130 games, including the iconic Wolfenstein 3D (1992), DOOM (1993) and Quake (1996) - to name but a few! Together, Jerry and John will be stepping into the map of ‘Hangar E1M1’, the legendary opening level from his iconic 1993 first-person shooter DOOM. John's groundbreaking cartographic creations and level design principles for the game represented a pivotal gamechanger for digital spatial mapping. They discuss how introducing non-linear layouts, and intricate floor plans and even the access through to other in-game environments, John’s work fundamentally shifted game design away from simple two-dimensional mazes, resulting in the vastly increased architectural complexity and immersive spatial design seen in modern 3D video game environments. Follow along with this episode at oculi-mundi.com/john-romero (http://oculi-mundi.com/john-romero) From historians, scientists and writers, to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries. Join us as map historian Jerry Brotton invites each guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and personal stories behind it. If you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - what’s YOUR map? The award-winning What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique cartography. For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast (http://oculi-mundi.com/podcast) to explore each of the maps as you listen, and find more information and rabbit-holes about each guest. Image detail: ©1993 id Software, Inc./John Romero All views and opinions expressed by guests on the podcast are entirely their own and do not represent those of The Sunderland Collection or Whistledown Productions.

3. 

   29 Sept 2026

   S6 Ep3: Rounding the Cape with Patricia Seed

   In this episode, Jerry meets with Patricia Seed, an American professor of history at the University of California, Irvine. Patricia has spent her career mapping the earliest voyages of European ‘discovery’ that transformed our world. Specialising in the history of cartography and navigation, she is an authority on latitude! Together they discuss the ‘Ulm Ptolemy’, a landmark world map in The Sunderland Collection, so called for its inclusion in ‘Cosmographia’ (1482) which was published in Ulm by Lienhart Holle and based directly on the geography of Claudius Ptolemy (2nd Century CE). This map was created six years before the Portuguese rounded the tip of Africa in 1488 and offers a fascinating snapshot on the eve of a global revolution. Using the map as a touchstone, Patricia and Jerry will talk about the key developments in late fifteen-century maritime navigation and the significance of voyages by Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias (1450-1500). We also hear from Patricia about how this brought about a whole new world view and acted as the catalyst for one of the darkest periods of world history - the Transatlantic slave trade. Follow along with this episode at oculi-mundi.com/patricia-seed (http://oculi-mundi.com/patricia-seed) From historians, scientists and writers, to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries. Join us as map historian Jerry Brotton invites each guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and personal stories behind it. If you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - what’s YOUR map? The award-winning What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique cartography. For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast (http://oculi-mundi.com/podcast) to explore each of the maps as you listen, and find more information and rabbit-holes about each guest. Image detail: ©The Sunderland Collection All views and opinions expressed by guests on the podcast are entirely their own and do not represent those of The Sunderland Collection or Whistledown Productions.

Who has been a guest on What's Your Map?

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Jeff Lichtman
• Iris Taylor
• Elizabeth Hogan

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.3 / 5

9 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

16 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 23 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

26

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

51

Contact What's Your Map?

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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