1580 Die Statt Paris

This splendid woodcut engraving of the city of Paris was published by Sebastian Münster in his Cosmographia, circa 1560. Initially published at least a decade earlier, it was the primary source for cartographic information regarding Paris for decades, and later served as a master plan for the Braun & Hogenberg map of the city.  Due to its ideal location on the Seine, Paris and its environs have been inhabited for many millennia. Archaeological findings include evidence of hunter-gatherer sites dating to the Mesolithic period, with more permanent settlement of areas of the city by around 4000 BCE. By the 3rd century BCE, a Celtic Gaul tribe known as the Parisii had made the city their capital and settled on the Île de la Cité, the large island in the middle of the Seine. Trade with other river settlements quickly established the city as an important mercantile centre due to the use of the Rhone-Seine rivers as a major trade route between Marseille and London. Münster showcased the c