Cartographica Neerlandica Background for Ortelius Map No. 197

Title: BELGII VETERIS/TYPVS/Ex conatibus geographicis Abrahami Ortelij. [a map of the ancient low countries, from the geographical records of Abraham Ortelius.] /HAC LITTERARVM FORMA, VETVSTIORA PINXIMVS./Quæ paulo erant recentiora, his notavimus./Nulla autem antiquitate illustria, hoc charactere/Recentissima vero, his vernaculis ab alijs distinximus [with this type we recorded the oldest [Roman] names [CAPITALS]. Those of later times with this type [lower case]. Names that do not derive from antiquity with this type [cursive lower case]. While for modern names we use this type [cursive fantasy font] to distinguish them from the others.(oval cartouche upper right:) S[enatus].P[opulus].Q[ue].A[ntwerpiensis]./PATRIAM AN:/TIQVITATI A SE/RESTITVTAM/DEDICABAT/LVB. MER./ABRAHAMVS/ORTELIVS/CIVIS [around edge of Cartouche:] NESCIO QVA NATALE SOLVM DVLCEDINE CVNCTOS DVCIT, ET IMMEMORES NON SINIT ESSE SVI. [quote from Ovidius' "Ex Ponto (1,3,5)] [with pleasure the citizen Abraham Ortelius dedicates this map of his native country to the senate and people of Antwerp; [quote in border of oval: Nescio qva natale solvm dvlcine cvnctos dvcit, et immemores non sinit esse svi [I do not know what has a sweet hold on all the native soil; it does not tolerate oblivion] (cartouche lower right:) 1584/Cum priuilegio/Imperiali et Bel:/gico, ad de:/cennium [with an imperial and Belgian privilege for ten years]. (cartouche left bottom:) Prisca vetustatis Belgæ monumenta recludit/Ortelius, priscas dum legit historias./Collige prima soli natalis semina Belga,/Et de quo veteri sis novus ipse vide./Favolius caneb. [By studying books on ancient history, Ortelius rediscovered the antique monuments of the Low Countries in Roman times, Collect, Reader, the first grains of your native soil, and learn from which ancestors you are the offspring. From the poetry of Favolius][a friend of Ortelius, physician and poet].

Plate size: 377 x 492 mm.
Scale: 1 : 1,400,000
Identification number: Ort 197 (Koeman/Meurer: 6P, Karrow: 1/154, vdKrogtAN: 3000H:31A).

Occurrence in Theatrum editions and page number:
1584L3Addblank or * (100 copies printed) (identical to 1584L, but here without page number; last line, centered, in cursive script: Vocabulis locorum,quæ in hac tabula legentur,lucem dabit noster Thesaurus Geographicus.),
1584G3Add16 in upper right corner (75 copies printed) (last line, left aligned, in Gothic script: zu Graitz in Styrien/und zu Neapels.),
1585F3Add11 (75 copies printed) (last line, left aligned, after 3. in cursive script: Virgile en ses Georg.liure 3. Mieux trainera aux affaires belgiques Le col domté,les chariots Belgiques.),
1584L101 (or occasionally 103) (750 copies printed) (identical with 1584L3Add, but here with page number; last line, centered, in cursive script: Vocabulis locorum,que in hac tabula legentur,lucem dabit noster Thesaurus Geographicus.),
1587F101 (250 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: Belgium roy des Celtes. Nous laisserons ces choses à debatre à qui bon semblera.),
1592L6 (525 copies printed) (last line, left aligned, partly in cursive script: Virgilius Georg.1. "Belgica vel molli meliùs feret esseda collo". Lucan.lib.1. "Et docilis rector rostrati Belga couini."

States: 197.1 as described.
197.2: in 1592 a number of place names was added and one place name was changed:
Along the coast lower left added: GESSORIACVS/PAGUS; centre: Quarta; low centre: AD FINES, and Andagium; right of centre: CORIOVALLVM, RUMANEHA and Belsonancum. Cauburg was replaced by CASTRA SARRÆ.

Approximate number of copies printed: 1775.

Cartographic sources: made by Ortelius on the basis of classical sources. The ones he mentions, notably Cæsar, deal with peoples and names, rather than with the geography of the area.

References: H.A.M. van der Heijden "Ortelius and the Netherlands", p. 271-290 in: M. van den Broecke, P. van der Krogt and P. Meurer (eds.) "Abraham Ortelius and the First Atlas", HES Publishers, 1998. H.A.M. van der Heijden "Old Maps of the Netherlands, 1548-1794, Canaletto, Alphen aan de Rijn, Netherlands, 1998, map 28, p. 200-202; H.A.M. van der Heijden (2004) "De bataafse mythe in de cartografie", in "Caert-Thresoor" 23.2, p. 37-41.

Remarks: This map was replaced in 1595L by plate Ort 198 which bears the date 1594.

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Bibliographical sources

No topographical names available