Cartographica Neerlandica Background for Ortelius Map No. 232

Title: DAPHNE. (Small cartouche low left corner:) "Ex utriusque linguæ scriptori:|bus adumbrabat Ab. Ortelius, | Cum priuilegio decennali". [From both Greek and Latin writers put together by Abraham Ortelius, with a privilege for ten years].

Plate size: 369 x 493 mm.
Scale: not applicable
Identification number: Ort 232 (Koeman/Meurer: 33P, Karrow: 1/209, van der Krogt AN: P-Daphne:31).

Occurrence in Theatrum editions and page number:
1595L5Addblank (100 copies printed) (text and typesetting identical to 1595L but without page number; last line, left aligned in very small font: bo,Plutarchus,Ammianus,aliisque,quos adduximus secunda nostri Thesauri editione,in verbo ANTIOCHIA.),
1595Li or n (500 copies printed) (text and typesetting identical to 1595L5Add, but here with page number i or n; last line, left aligned in very small font: bo,Plutarchus,Ammianus,aliisque,quos adduximus secunda nostri Thesauri editione,in verbo ANTIOCHIA.),
1597G5Addblank (75 copies printed) (identical with 1602G, but here without page number; last line, full width, in Gothic script like the entire text: vorhanden were. Item die Oration des Sophisten Libanij/welche der Keiser Julianus in seinê sendbrieffen sondlich lobet.),
1598/1610/1613D91 (100 copies printed) (last line, centred like 4 lines above it: dan eenighe boomen.),
1601Lxxxvij (200 copies printed) (last line first text page, right aligned: vt bustum ; last line second text page, left aligned: tarchus, Ammianus, aliique, quos adduximus secunda nostri Thesauri editione, in verbo ANTIOCHIA.),
1602G33 (250 copies printed) (identical with 1597G5Add, but here with page number; last line, full width, in Gothic script like the entire text: vorhanden were. Item die Oration des Sophisten Libanij/welche der Keiser Julianus in seinê sendbrieffen sondlich lobet.),
1603L rarely xxxvij or usually xxxix (300 copies printed) (text and page number, but not typesetting, identical to the 1609/1612S/L edition; this text covers two text pages; last line first text page, right aligned: vt bustum ; last line second text page, left aligned: mianus,aliique, quos adduximus secunda nostri Thesauri editione, in verbo ANTIOCHIA.),
1606Exxxvij (300 copies printed) (last line, first of two text pages, full width: the euent of this warre would be ; answer was made him, by the idoll, that by reason of the neernesse of the dead bodies | (meaning),
1608/1612Ixxxix (300 copies printed) (last line, left aligned, in Greek lettering: en Daphne. Cio insegnano Strabone, Plutarcho, Ammiano, & altri,li quali habbiamo addotti nella seconda stampa del nostro Tesoro nella voce Antiochia.),
1609/1612Sxxxix (text in Latin) = 1609/1612Lxxxix (600 copies printed) (one text page; last line, left aligned: nostri Thesauri editione, in verbo ANTIOCHIA.),
1624ParergonL/1641Sxlviij (1025 copies printed) (last line second column first text page, right aligned: lianus ; last line second text page, second column, left aligned, in cursive script: "perennet".

Approximate number of copies printed: 3250.

States: 232.1 as described.
232.2: in 1601 parts of this plate were re-engraved. The cloud in the upper left corner has mostly vertical curves in state 1, but mostly horizontal curves in state 2. The porch of the building in the centre around which three groups of people are gathered has small squares in state 1, but diagonal hatching from lower left to upper right in state 2. Numerous other small ornamental differences can be found.

Cartographic sources: made by Ortelius on the basis of information from ancient sources, specifically Ammianus, Strabo, Zozomenus and Philostratus. Possibly, Ortelius' friend Ioachimus Axonius who travelled in this area made a sketch which served as an example for Ortelius' drawing.

Remarks: this is the depiction of the paradise Daphne, a pleasant suburb of Antioch in Syria, representing a mixture of myth and history, like plate Ort 231, Tempe. Note that the buildings depicted on this view are without exception drawn in Renaissance style.

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