The impressive history of the cartographic masterpiece—the Venetian mappa mundi—that revolutionized our perception of the world. In 1459, a Venetian monk named Fra Mauro completed an astonishing map of the world. With a diameter of seven feet, Fra Mauro's mappamundi is the oldest and most complete medieval map that has survived to this day. In its time, this groundbreaking map provided the most detailed depiction of the known world, incorporating accurate observation and geographical reality, urging viewers to see the earth and water as they truly existed. Fra Mauro's map was the first in history to show that a ship could sail around Africa and that the "Sea" of India was actually an ocean, enabling the expansion of international trade across the world. The acclaimed anthropologist Meredith F. Small reveals how Fra Mauro's mappamundi transformed cartography into a science and not a practice based on religion and ancient myths. "Here Begins the Dark Sea" brings Fra Mauro's masterpiece to life as a work of art and a window into Venetian society and culture. In the stories narrated from this fundamental pivotal point of modern cartography, Small takes the reader on a fascinating journey as she explores the human impulse to find our way. "Here Begins the Dark Sea" is a captivating testimony to the undeniable impact Fra Mauro and his mappamundi have had over the last five centuries and continues to have today.