Claudius Ptolemy Atlas, 1584

Geographiae Libri Octo, 1584

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 1584 edition of Ptolemy's Geography included maps by Gerhard Mercator and was dedicated to Abraham Ortelius. In 1570, Mercator created a definitive version of the maps from the Geography in recognition of Ptolemy’s influence on the development of cartography; by this time, Ptolemy’s work was generally considered inaccurate and out-dated. Mercator compared the many editions of the Geography and different versions of the maps that had appeared of over the previous 100 years, to produce the best possible representations of the maps based on Ptolemy’s work. The 28 maps Mercator produced, along with the latest translation of the text by Willibald Perckheimer, were published by Arnold Mylius in 1584.

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   |   Index   |   Table of Map Coordinates   |   Maps Introduction   |   Ptolemy Maps   |   Maps Index   |   Back Matter


Front Matter

Introduction

Liber I

Liber II

Liber III

Liber IIII

Liber V

Liber VI

Liber VII

Liber VIII

Index

Table of Map Coordinates

Maps Section

Ptolemy Maps


Maps Index

Back Matter