Heaven and Earth –How Early Geoscientists Inscribed Terrestrial Routes into the Sky

The contribution approaches early navigation and geography from a historical and interdisciplinary perspective, focusing on the role of the sky as a central reference system for spatial orientation, knowledge transmission and geographic thinking. Examining the Sumerian invention of constellations as "paths" and Isaac Newton's guessings about the sense of ancient Greek constellation design as practical and symbolic tools for navigation, the paper highlights how geographic knowledge was structured and preserved prior to the emergence of standardized cartography. Based upon examples from antiquity, the presentation situates early geographic practices within their cultural and scientific contexts and addresses the close relationship between astronomy and geography in the formation of early geoscientific thinking. The contribution is intended for an interdisciplinary audience and aims to stimulate discussion on the historical foundations of spatial knowledge and navigation.