Place

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>This chapter examines the role of mapping and Cartesian place in our understanding of the classical world, and the role of digital technologies in mediating that understanding. Through a critical historiography of the most significant phases in this process and their wider context, it examines the origins of “modern” mapping in the classical period, traces this evolution through the imperial/colonial ages of Europe, and examines how this led to the emergence of the toponym as a fundamental unit of classical studies. The arrival of the World Wide Web, and its subsequent evolution into a conversational and interactive space in the first two decades of the twenty-first century led to this approach being rethought, with open and collaborative approaches to place in the ancient world emerging. As well as these new ways of working, the coming of the digital age presents challenges for digital classics, with pseudoarchaeological and pseudohistorical spatial narratives gaining traction. This chapter summarizes this process, and argues that the time has come to rethink and expand digital classics as the digital world develops apace.</jats:p>