Cartographica Neerlandica Background for Ortelius Map No. 205

Title: ITALIAE VETE:|RIS SPECIMEN. [Representation of ancient Italy]. (Cartouche bottom right:) "Cum Priuilegio | Imp. Reg. et Cancellariæ Bra:|bantiæ decennali, evulgabat | Abrahamus Ortelius. [Published by Abraham Ortelius with an imperial, royal and Brabant council Privilege for ten years.] (Cartouche bottom middle-left:) VESPASIANI AVG. EX NVMMO ÆREO IMP. CÆS. | ROMA. [Vespasianus Augustus, imperial Roman Cæsar, on a copper coin]. (Cartouche bottom middle-right:) ANTONINI PII AVG. EX NVMMO ÆREO IMP. CÆS. ITALIA. [Antoninus Pius, imperial Cæsar of Italy, on a copper coin].

Plate size: 346 x 483 mm.
Scale: 1 : 2,750,000
Identification number: Ort 205 (not in Koeman, Meurer or Karrow, vanderKrogtAN: 7000H:31B).

Occurrence in Theatrum editions and page number:

1601Lxviij (200 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: alias quasdam , quæ apud Pomponium & Antoninum nominantur.),
1602G16 (250 copies printed) (last line, left aligned, in Gothic script like the entire text: die Pompon. vnd Antonin.mit namen nennen.),
1603L few xviij, most copies have xx (300 copies printed) (text and page number, but not typesetting, identical with 1609/1612S/L; page number xx below the word item ; last line, left aligned: alias quasdam , quæ apud Pomponium & Antoninum nominantur.),
1606Exviij (300 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: "ctrides," which I find recited and named in "Pomponius Mela" and "Antoninus".),
1608/1612Ixx (300 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: Dioscoron,&d'auantaggio le Elettridi, & certe altre nominate da Pomponio & Antonino.),
1609/1612Sxx (text in Latin) = 1609L/1612Lxx (600 copies printed) (text and page number, but not typesetting, identical with 1603L; page number xx below the word Dioscoron ; last line, left aligned: alias quasdam,quæ apud Pomponium & Antoninum nominantur.),
1619BertiusCCC (100 copies printed) (Some Bertius atlases have Ort205, other have Cluverus' Italy, but all have the text from the 1609/1612/S/L Theatrum, which has been reset. Last line, left aligned: Pomponium & Antoninum nominantur.),
1624ParergonL/1641Sxxiiij (1025 copies printed) (last line second column, left aligned: toninum nominantur.).

Approximate number of copies printed: 3075.

States: 205.1 only.

Cartographic sources: made by Ortelius, based on Gastaldi's map of Italy (Meurer p. 148-154, Karrow 30/90, p. 216-249), supplemented by classical sources, viz. Vergilius, Plinius, Ælianus, Æthicus, Strabo, Polybius and Varro.

Remarks: this map replaces Ort 204, which has ITALIA in the lower left cartouche, which the present plate Ort 205 does not have. The copper plate from which this map was printed has been preserved in the Plantin-Moretus museum in Antwerp, and is on display there.

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