system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why is it that maps are all oriented with North at the top?

It makes sense to me with the axes of Earth as they are that modem maps would have North on top and South on bottom. Why is it, though, that even maps made years and years ago are still North-oriented?
gpt
Polaris!

While medieval maps were oriented toward Jerusalem (hence our word "orient" means both find our bearings and the east), renaissance cartographers rediscovered Greek/Roman maps and liked their use of Polaris, the north star.  

Explorers used stars to navigate to the new world.  So as they added to the maps, they did them in reference to the stars.