The oldest maps were made by hand of course, and were based on fairly crude measurements of paces, strides and the like and directions only loosely related to NEWS. Clocks helped (as with navigation, latitude could be estimated by seeing what stars were above the horizon (or how high the sun seemed at its zenith), but longitude needed to know when they were seen).
Modern maps have the extraordinary advantage of precise locations of points, and even the benefit of direct overhead observation, and are no longer hand drawn.
