Claudius Ptolemy was a mathematician, astronomer and geographer who worked in Alexandria, then a part of the Roman Empire, in the 2nd century AD. One of the most learned and influential men of his time, his theories dominated both astronomy and geography for nearly 1500 years. His writings were kept alive by Arabic scholars during the Middle Ages and reemerged in Europe during the Renaissance. The birth of printing led to wide dissemination of his great works on astronomy and geography. There were a number of editions of his Geographia beginning in 1477. These early editions contained maps based on his original writings, known as Ptolemaic maps. As geographic knowledge increased with the explorations of Columbus, Magellan, Cabot and others, maps of the New World were added, and maps of the Old World were revised. Ptolemy's Geographia continued to be revised and published by some of the most important cartographers including Martin Waldseemuller, Sebastian Munster, Giacomo Gastaldi, Jodocus Hondius, and Gerard Mercator (whose last edition was published in 1730).

This terrific Ptolemaic map of northern Africa is on a trapezoidal projection with a stippled sea. It extends to include the Mediterranean and portions of southern Europe and the Middle East. The Nile is depicted as originating south of the equator, in the Mountains of the Moon, and the Niger River is prominently featured in the west. Italian text on verso.

References: Mickwitz & Miekkavaara #216-38; Shirley (BL Atlases) T.PTOL-10a.

Condition: B+

On watermarked paper with light toning and offsetting along the centerfold, a couple small stains, and remnants of hinge tape in the top blank margin on recto.