1584 Asiae I Tab.

By: Mercator / Ptolemy Date: 1584 (circa) Amsterdam Dimensions: 18.25 x 13.5 inches (46.35 x 34.3 cm) This delightful Ptolemaic map of Turkey and Cypress originally came out in Mercator’s second (1584) edition of Ptolemy’s great Geography. Only the first (1578) and second (1584) editions of the atlas were published during Gerard Mercator’s lifetime. Gerard Mercator is most popularly known for being the first to use the word “atlas” when referring to a group of maps as well his creation of the Mercator projection where line of latitude and longitude are constrained to a grid like format. However he did spend much of his life working on renditions to Ptolemaic maps such as this one. The map shows the ancient political division within the Asia Minor region and notes many towns and important cities throughout. In this particular map, the great city of Istanbul formerly known as Constantinople is labeled “Bizantium” from its roots as an ancient Greek city. The name was later changed to Con