Claudius Ptolemy Atlas, published 1525

Claudii Ptolemaei Geographiae, 1525

decorative graphic illustrating this particular set of maps

Ptolemy's Geography was a synthesis of Greek scientific and geographic thought, compiled in the 2nd century A.D., and its re-discovery and printing in Western Europe in the 15th century had a catalytic effect on Renaissance cartography. Read further information about Claudius Ptolemy and the Geography.

This new translation of Ptolemy's Geography by Willibald Pirckheimer was published in 1525 by Johann Grüinger, with 24 maps supplementing the original 26. The maps for this edition were produced and edited by Lorenz Fries. The early translation of Ptolemy's Geography by Jacopo Angeli from Greek to Latin contained many errors that had propagated into the various editions of the Geography that existed in the early 16th century. These translation errors made it difficult to develop a clear understanding of the theoretical sections of Geography that described how to generate maps from the data given in Books II-VII. To address this problem, Willibald Pirckheimer produced a new corrected translation of Geography falling back on early Greek version of the text when necessary.

We are very grateful to David Rumsey for supporting the scanning of this atlas.

Front Matter   |   Introduction   |   Liber I   |   Liber II   |   Liber III   |   Liber IIII   |   Liber V   |   Liber VI   |   Liber VII   |   Liber VIII   |   Discussion of Translation Errors   |   Index   |   Maps Geometry   |   Ptolemy Maps   |   Back Matter

 

Front Matter

Introduction

Liber I

Liber II

Liber III

Liber IIII

Liber V

Liber VI

Liber VII

Liber VIII

Discussion of Translation Errors

Index

Maps Geometry

Ptolemy Maps


Back Matter