1574 Europae Tabula VIII

This highly desirable Ruscelli map in trapezoid form is from his work La Geografia di Claudio Tolomeo Alessandrino.  Based on the work of Ptolemy, it depicts portions of Eastern Europe from just west of the Vistula River in Poland including a portion of Germany. The map covers a vast territory through the modern day countries of Scandinavia, the Swedish island of Gotland (Gothia Insula), Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine including the Crimea, and Russia. It also includes the Sea of Azov and Sarmatia to the east of it, and the northern shores of the Black Sea, including the legendary kingdom of Colchis of Golden Fleece renown. The topography is inaccurate in places, with the Ural Mountains positioned to the west of their true geographic location. Two interesting ancient historical altars are depicted, one to Alexander the Great and the other to Julius Caesar. Mountain ranges such as the Carpathians, and river systems are clearly denoted. All the seas are stippled. There is descriptive