Cartographica Neerlandica Background for Ortelius Map No. 226

Title: ARGONAVTICA. [About the Argonauts]. (Cartouche lower middle left:) "Ex conatibus Geographicis Abrah. Ortelij Antverp". [From the geographical efforts of Abraham Ortelius].(Cartouche bottom left:) ILLVSTRISSIMO | PRINCIPI CAROLO | COMITI ARENBERGIO, | BARONI SEPTIMONTII, | DOMINO MIRVARTII, | EQVITI AVREI VEL:|LERIS, ETC. | ABRAH. ORTELIVS | DEDICAB. L.M. [Dedicated with good reason to the very famous and illustrious ruler Carolus, count of Arenberg, baron of Zevenbergen [Seven Mountains], lord of Mirvars, knight of the Golden Fleece, by Abraham Ortelius]. (Inset middle right 65 x 70mm:) Minoium | pelagus. [Sea east of Thessalia, central Greece]; (inset bottom right, 81 x 132 mm:) PROPON:|TIS. (Inset top left, 68 x 83 mm:) EVRO::PA. (Top left:) "Argonautarum reditum | ex Orpheo quia tabula | non capiebat, en | hic eum seorsum". [The return of the Argonauts from Orpheus is shown here since the map cannot show it]. (Mid left:) "Aeae insula | et portus | ubi Circes habitaculum". [The isle of Aea, and its harbour, where Circe lived]. (Mid left:) "Anthemoußa | insula, vbi | Sirenes" [The isle of Anthemoussa, where the sirens are.] (Mid left:) "Nymphea insula | Calypsonis habi:|taculum" [The isle of Nymphea, were Calypso lived]. (Top centre:) "Ipse papyrifero qui non angustior amne | Miscetur vasto multa per ora freto. | Ovid. de Danubio". [This river brings forth the papyrus plant, not where it is rather narrow, but it produces much at its mouth. Ovidius, writing about the Danube]. (Centre:) "Ceraunia, quæ | et Macris, et | Drepane insula, in | qua Medeæ antrum". [The isle of Ceraunia, or Macris, or Drepane, where you find the cave of Medea]. (Top right:) "Tanais flu. Asi:|am ab Europa | disterminans". [The river Tanais, which divides Europe from Asia]. (Upper middle right:) AXENVM Aequor, Iasonio | pulsatum remige primum. [The sea of Axenus, first traversed by Iaso by oars]. (Top right:) "Caucasus mons, Cubile Promethei". [Mount Caucasus, the seat of Prometheus]. (Inset bottom right, 81 x 132 mm:) PROPON:|TIS. [Sea of Marmara] (Bottom right:) HEL::LES::PONTVS, Phryxeum aequor,|et Athamantidis fluenta. [The Hellespont, the Phryxeum sea, and the flowing of the river Athamantis]. (Bottom right:) "Duorum horum tractuum pleniorem descripti:|onem quia Tabula angustia non admittebat, hîc | seorsum eos delineare operæpretium duximus. [Here above we present two of their journeys in greater, more useful detail, because the regular map on account of its size does not allow me to do so]. (More text blocks in Topographical Names).

Plate size: 344 x 493 mm.
Scale: 1 : 7,500,000.
Identification number: Ort 226 (Koeman/Meurer: 38P, not in Karrow, van der Krogt AN: 0310H:31).

Occurrence in Theatrum editions and page number:
1601Lxxxv (200 copies printed) (second line above four columns of Argonauts ends: numerat),
1603L rarely xxxv or mostly xxxvij (300 copies printed) (text and page number, but not typesetting, identical with the editions 1609/1612S/L; second line above the 3 columns of Argonauts ends: Or- ; last line, in three columns like the line above it, in italic script: "Hæc fuit ignoti prima carina maris". (next column:) "Frangere,nec Scythici tristior vnda freti". (next column:) "Sanctior est salua parua tabella rate."), ,
1606Exxxv (300 copies printed) (last line, first text page of two, full width: "datica" writeth, That "Cneius Pompeius" after that he had pursued "Mithridates", even as far as "Colchis", that he went aland heere, | to),
1608/1612Ixxxvij (300 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: ni, tuttania è piu venerabile, essendo rimasa salua quella naue in vna piccola tauola.),
1609/1612Sxxxvij (text in Latin) = 1609/1612Lxxxvij (600 copies printed) (text and page number, but not typesetting, identical to 1603L; 2nd line above the 3 columns of Argonauts ends: Orpheus; last line, in three columns like the line above it, in italic script: "Hæc fuit ignoti prima carina maris". (next column:) "Frangere,nec Scythici tristior vnda freti". (next column:) "Sanctior est salua parua tabella rate."),
1624LParergon/1641Sxlij (1025 copies printed) (last line second column first text page, right aligned: Anchi- ; last line second column second text page, left aligned, in cursive script: "Antiquitatis monumento fruere.").

Approximate number of copies printed: 2725.

States: 226.1 only.

Cartographic sources: Ortelius mentions Valerius Flaccus, Orpheus and Apollonius Rhodius as his prime sources.

Remarks: depiction of the roamings of Iason and his companions in their quest for the Golden Fleece, on their ship named Argo. Ortelius, basing himself on a host of classical authors, counts more than 80 Argonauts by name, and provides sources for each of them as he established them in ancient writings.

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Topographical names