Kaart van het stroomgebied van de rivieren Rio Agueda en Rio Coa, ca. 1701-1715 1701 - 1715

This is a map of the Rio Agueda and Rio Coa river basin, made circa 1701-1715 by Samuel Du Ry de Champdoré. Notice the crescent moon atop a structure on the lower right. This potent symbol carries a complex history. We see the crescent primarily in Islamic cultures, often associated with sovereignty and divinity. However, its roots extend much further back. In ancient Mesopotamia, the crescent symbolized deities, and it was later adopted in Byzantium, long before the rise of Islam. The reappearance of the crescent across different eras and cultures reveals a fascinating continuity of symbolic language. What subconscious needs drive us to repeatedly employ this symbol? Perhaps it is an attempt to capture the divine, or maybe it is an expression of lunar cycles and our deep connection to the natural world. This map, seemingly a mundane depiction of land, subtly invokes layers of cultural memory, engaging our imagination in profound ways.