Cartographica Neerlandica Background for Ortelius Map No. 217

© Marcel van den Broecke © Title: CRETA/Iovis magni, medio iacet insula ponto./Ex conatibus geographicis Abrahami Ortelij. [The isle of Creta, belonging to great Iupiter, which lies in the middle of the sea, made from the geographical efforts of Abraham Ortelius.] - CORSICA - INSVLÆ MARIS IONII - SARDINIA (cartouche middle right:) Priuilegio decennali. [with a privilege for ten years.]

Plate size: 342 x 491 mm. Four maps on one plate.

Identification number: Ort 217 (Koeman/Meurer: 7Pa-d, Karrow: 1/158-1/161, van der Krogt AN: 7900H:31).

Title 217a: Corsica

Scale: 1 : 1,500,000. Size: 125 x 140 mm.

Identification number: Ort 217a (Koeman/Meurer: 7Pa, Karrow: 1/158)

States: 217a only.

Cartographic sources: Ortelius mentions as his classical sources Athenæus, Eustathius, Martianus Capella, Diodorus Siculus, Strabo, Seneca and Livius.

Title 217b:Insulæ Mari Ionii, that is: Corfu, St. Maura, Ithaca, Cephalonia & Zante. [Middle top:] ITHACA INS./in qua Neritus mons./Arethusa fons, et/Coracis petra. [The Isle of Ithaca with mount Neritus, the spring of Arethusa and the rocks of Coracis.] [Middle top:] ZACYNTHVS/INS. in qua/Elatus mons./Arcadia vrbs. [The Isle of Zacynthus with mount Elatus and the city of Arcadia.]

Scale: 1 : 1,500,000. Size: 79 x 171 mm.

Identification number: Ort 217b (Koeman/Meurer: 7Pb, Karrow: 1/159).

States: 217b.1 as described;
217b.2: Arcadia vrbs and Panormus|portus added in 1595.

Cartographic sources: Ortelius mentions as his classical sources Strabo, Palenses, Athenæus, Livius and Plinius.

Title 217c: Sardinia.

Scale: 1 : 2,000,000. Size: 124 x 135 mm. List of uncertain peoples and places.

Identification number: Ort 217c (Koeman/Meurer: 7Pc, Karrow: 1/160).

States: 217c.1 as described;
217c.2: Tegula added in 1595
217c.3: ins. added to Herculis; villa added after Susalei; Sarcapos changed into Satrapos in 1624.

Cartographic sources: Ortelius mentions as his classical sources Eustathius, Pausanias, Polybius, Strabo, Prudentius, Salvanius, Sidonius, Pomponius, Dioscorides, Plinius and Claudiamus.

Title 217d: Crete [Centre:] Ida mons, qui et Chryso:/mallis. Iouis/cunabula. [Mount Ida, also called Chrysomallis. Here stood Iove's cradle.]

Scale: 1 : 600,000. Size: 198 x 491 mm. List of uncertain places and people.

Identification number: Ort 217d (Koeman/Meurer: 7Pd, Karrow: 1/161).

States: 217d.1 as described;
217d.2: Aptera added, Heracleum added, Inatus fl|et mons added, Drauca added, synoyma changed into synoynma in 1595;
217d.3: Tripos changed into Tripolus, Dryttæ changed into Dryitæ, Syia added, Mycenæ added in 1601;
217d.4: Rhitymâ replaced by Rhitymna, synoynma changed into synonyma, Rocceæ|Dianæ changed into Rocceæ siue|Dianæ, Letoa changed into Lotoa in 1624. Order of places of uncertain location Lasio, Istros reversed in 1624.

Cartographic sources: Ortelius mentions the contemporary source Francesco Superanti (Soranzo), and as classical sources Strabo, Athenæus, Diodorus Siculus and Heraclides.

Summarising states over the entire plate, it has four states: 1584, 1595, 1601 and 1624.

Occurrence in Theatrum editions and page number:
1584L3Addblank (100 copies printed) (identical with 1584L, but here without page number; last line, left aligned: tarchus,de Oraculorum defectu.),
1584G3Add24 in upper right corner (75 copies printed) (last line, left aligned, in Gothic script: Panostodt/die sich bey disen Insuln zugetragen haben/ erzehlt Plutarch.de Oraculorum defectu.),
1585F3Add21 (75 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: coup. Plutarque raconte vne histoire digne d'estre cognuë, laquelle il dit estre aduenuë à l'entour desdites Isles de la mort du dieu Pan.),
1584L107 (750 copies printed) (identical with 1584L3Add, but here with page number; last line, left aligned: tarchus,de Oraculorum defectu.),
1587F105 (250 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: d'estre cognuë, laquelle il dit estre aduenuë à l'entour desdites Isles de la mort du Dieu Pan.),
1592L16 (525 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: chus,de Oraculorum defectu.),
1595LV (500 copies printed) (last line, first text page, left aligned: rat à D.Iustiniano in Codice.),
1601Lxxix (200 copies printed) (last line first text page, right aligned: CORSI- ; last line second text page, left aligned: tat Plutarchus , de Oraculorum defectu.),
1602G27 (250 copies printed) (copy consulted, UBGroningen, has crossed out p. 24 in upper right corner and is identical with 1584G3Add; last line, left aligned, in Gothic script like the entire text: Panos todt/die sich bey disen Insuln zugetragen haben/ erzehlt Plutarch.de Oraculorum defectu.),
1603Lxxxj (300 copies printed) (text and page number identical to 1609/1612S/L, but here presented on two text pages; last line first text page, right aligned: ab ; last line second text page, left aligned: circa has insulas , de morte Panos , recitat Plutarchus , de Oraculorum defectu.),
1606Exxix (300 copies printed) (last line, first text page, full width: breedeth not any at all, as "Polybius" in his 12.booke witnesseth. "Procopius" , in his 3. booke of the warres of the Gothes,saith/that),
1608/1612Ixxxj (300 copies printed) (last line first text page, right aligned: sima : last line second text page, left aligned: della morte di Pano, degna d'esser intesa.),
1609/1612Sxxxj (text in Latin) =
1609/1612Lxxxj (600 copies printed) (text and page number, but not typesetting, identical to 1603L which has 2 text pages, whereas these editions have only one text page; last line, left aligned in very small font: tat Plutarchus, de Oraculorum defectu.),
1624P/1641Sxxxv (1025 copies printed) (last line second column first text page, right aligned: uibus ; last line second column second text page, left aligned: recitat Plutarchus,De Oraculorum defectu.).

Approximate number of copies printed: 5450.

Text

Bibliographical sources

No topographical names available