Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | DecĪll the materials on these pages are free for homework and classroom use only. The myth of the great southern continent was finally dispelled by the discoveries of Captain James Cook in 1769. Terra Australis, the great mythical southern continent at the time, is at the bottom of the map. Who created the first modern Atlas of the World?Ībraham Ortelius (1527-1598), a Dutch-born cartographer, produced the first modern atlas called the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (Theatre of the World).Ĭartography is the art and science of making maps.Īfter publishing a World Map in 1564, printed on eight sheets, he decided to gather a collection of maps from among his European cartographer contacts and had them engraved and bound in uniform size to produce the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum. With no satellite view, old world maps could only be based on what was known or imagined about the world at the time they were drawn. The maps of the world today are more accurate than they used to be. Today satellite imagery is used to verify the measurements, shapes and locations of important geographic features. Ortelius's small Atlas The Epitome published from 1590 ran for many editions and was very popular.The first true atlas in the modern sense was published on. with many newly prepared maps began to supersede Ortelius' work. Publication reverted to the Plantin Press, under the control of the Moretus brothers, from 1612.Īlthough only the relatively unsuccessful atlases of De Jode and, ultimately, Mercator were published during the sixteenth century life of the Theatrum …, in 1607 Jodocus Hondius's issue of Mercator's Atlas. Between 16 it was published by Johann Baptist Vrients, who added a variety of fine maps including the very decorative large plates of England and Wales, and of Ireland. Amongst this latter category, the maps added in the 1580's and 90's of the world, the Americas, China, the Pacific, Japan, Peru and Florida, and Iceland are important historically and justly famous.The maps themselves are finely engraved, often very decorative and generally found with text on the reverse.Īfter Ortelius' death in 1598 the atlas continued to be printed and published by the Plantin Press. Marcel Van Den Broecke, whose fascinating work on Ortelius and his maps is often quoted, estimates that around 7300 complete atlases were published using a total of 234 copperplates, either replacements or reworkings as plates became out-dated, worn, or as new information became available. Over 30 different editions, with text in Latin, French, Dutch, German, Italian, English or Spanish, testify to the popularity and esteem attributed to the work. It was also an immediate commercial success, being reprinted four times in 1570. The atlas achieved instant fame as "the world's first regularly produced atlas" (Skelton), being the first atlas with maps prepared to a uniform format. Having already become probably the greatest cartographic bibliographer of the period, Ortelius was able to prepare 53 map sheets based on the most up-to-date information, which were engraved by Frans Hogenberg, and first published in 1570. At this time, Ortelius also began preparing his greatest project, the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum. 6-9 Van den Broecke #22.2.įrom about 1560, possibly as a result of his friendship with Mercator, Ortelius began to produce maps - an eight sheet world map being the earliest. This is the rare second state, with Latin text on verso, published in the first edition in which this map appeared.Ī sharp, early impression on a sheet with the crossed arrows watermark commonly found on Ortelius maps. The map is typical of Ortelius' refined, yet ebullient style with bold strapwork title and scale cartouches and a pair of ships in the stormy sea off the northern coastline. There are several Latin annotations throughout the map. It is divided into counties and shows towns, rivers, lakes, forests, coastal islands and a host of other details. This is the first map of Ireland to include any geographic details its predecessors being crudely drawn Italian maps. This exceptional map was based on Mercator's 1564 wall map of the British Isles and is presented with west oriented to the top. Stunning map of Ireland in full hand colour. HIBERNIAE BRITANNICAE INSULA NOVA DESCRIPTIO IRLANDT Sold
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