ORTELIUS, Abraham (1527-1598).
Aevi Veteris, Typus Geographicus.
Engraved Map.
Antwerp: 1601.
23" x 18 1/2" sheet.

Stunning Ortelius Map of the Ancient World with large margins, Based on the Work of Claudius Ptolemy. This map was published in Ortelius' Parergon, the first historical atlas. Ptolemy's influence can be seen in the place names as well as the limited size of the map, as Ortelius includes only what Ptolemy knew of the world. The map shows Europe, Africa, and Asia, from Scandinavia (Scandia Thule) to Madagascar (Menuthias) and as far east as Indonesia (India Extra Gangem). It is set into a much larger empty oval projection which indicates the limits of geographical knowledge from the classical period as compared to the sixteenth-century understanding of the world. The Americas, southern Africa, Australia, and much of East and South East Asia are not included on the central map.