Cartographica Neerlandica Background for Ortelius Map No. 217

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, from the geographical efforts of Abraham Ortelius]. - CORSICA - INSVLAE MA:|RIS IONII. - SARDINIA. (Cartouche middle right:) "Priuilegio decennali". [With a privilege for ten years]. See for more text blocks Topographical Names.

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:INSVLAE MA:|RI IONII. (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". [The isle of Zacynthus with mount Elatus].

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.),
1584L107 (750 copies printed) (identical with 1584L3Add, but here with 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 like the entire text: 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.),
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. ; last line second text page, left aligned: tarchus,de Oraculorum defectu.),
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: Panostodt/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) (one but 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.

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Bibliographical sources

Topographical names