Cartographica Neerlandica Background for Ortelius Map No. 226

© Marcel van den Broecke © Title: ARGONAVTICA. [about the Argonauts] (cartouche lower middle left:) Ex conatibus Geographicis Abrah. Ortelij Antverp. (cartouche bottom left:) ILLVSTRISSIMO|PRINCIPI CAROLO|COMITI ARENBERGIO,|BARONI SEPTIMONTII,|DOMINO MIRVARTII,|EQVITI AVREI VEL:|LERIS, ETC.|ABRAH. ORTELIVS|DEDICAB. L.M. [Dedicated with good reason to the very famous and illustrious Ruler Carolus, Earl of Arenberg, Baron of Zevenbergen [Seven Mountains], Lord of Mirvars, Knight of the Golden Fleece, by Abraham Ortelius]. (inset middle bottom right 65 x 70mm:) Minoium pelagus [sea east of Thessalia, central Greece]; (inset bottom right, 81 x 132 mm:)PROPON:|TIS (inset top left, 68 x 83 mm:) EVROPA [top left:] Argonautarum reditum|ex Orpheo quia tabula|non capiebat, en|hic eum seorsum [The return of the Argonauts from Orpheus is shown here since the map cannot show it.] [Midleft:] Aeae insula|et portus|ubi Circes habitaculum [The isle of Aeae, and its harbour, where Circe lived.] [Midleft:] Anthemoußa|insula, vbi|Sirenes [The isle of Anthemoussa, where the Sirens are.] [Midleft:] Nymphea insula|Calypsonis habi:|tacula [The isle of Nymphea, were Calypso lived.] [Top centre:] Ipse papyrifero qui non angustior amne|Miscetur vasto multa per ora freto.|Ovid. de Danubio. [This river brings forth the papyrus plant, not where it is rather narrow, but it produces much at its mouth. Ovidius, writing about the Danube.] [Centre:] Ceraunia, quæ|et Macris, et|Drepane insula, in|qua Medeæ antrum. [The isle of Ceraunia, or Macris, or Drepane, where you find the cave of Medea.] [Top right:] Tanais flu. Asi:|am ab Europa|disterminans [The river Tanais, which divides Europe from Asia.] [Upper middle right:] AXENVM Aequor, Iasonio|pulsatum remige primum. [The sea of Axenus, first traversed by Iaso by oars.] [Top right:] Caucasus mons, Cubile Promethei [Mount Caucasus, the seat of Prometheus.] (inset bottom right, 81 x 132 mm:) PROPON:|TIS. (sea of Marmara) [Bottom right:] HEL::LES::PONTVS, Phryxeum aequor,|et Athamantidis fluenta. [The Hellespont, the Phryxeum sea, and the flowing of the Athamantis.] [Bottom right:] Duorum horum tractuum pleniorem descripti:|onem quia Tabula angustia non admittebat, hic|seorsum eos delineare operepretium duximus. [Here above we present two of their journeys in greater, more useful detail, because the regular map on account of its size does not allow me to do so.]

Plate size: 344 x 493 mm.
Scale: 1 : 7,500,000.
Identification number: Ort 226 (Koeman/Meurer: 38P, not in Karrow, van der Krogt AN: 0310H:31).

Occurrence in Theatrum editions and page number:

1601Lxxxv (200 copies printed) (second line above four columns of Argonauts ends: numerat),
1603L rarely xxxv or mostly xxxvij (300 copies printed) (text and page number, but not typesetting, identical with the editions 1609/1612S/L; second line above the 3 columns of Argonauts ends: Or- ; last line, in three columns like the line above it, in italic script: "Hæc fuit ignoti prima carina maris". [next column:] "Frangere,nec Scythici tristior vnda freti". [next column:] "Sanctior est salua parua tabella rate."), ,
1606Exxxv (300 copies printed) (last line, first text page of two, full width: "datica" writeth, That "Cneius Pompeius" after that he had pursued "Mithridates", even as far as "Colchis", that he went aland heere,|to),
1608/1612Ixxxvij (300 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: ni, tuttania è piu venerabile, essendo rimasa salua quella naue in vna piccola tauola.),
1609/1612Sxxxvij (text in Latin) =
1609/1612Lxxxvij (600 copies printed) (text and page number, but not typesetting, identical to 1603L; 2nd line above the 3 columns of Argonauts ends Orpheus; last line, in three columns like the line above it, in italic script: "Hæc fuit ignoti prima carina maris". [next column:] "Frangere,nec Scythici tristior vnda freti". [next column:] "Sanctior est salua parua tabella rate."),
1624ParergonL/1641Sxlij (1025 copies printed) (last line second column first text page, right aligned: Anchi- ; las tline second column second text page, left aligned, in cursive script: "Antiquitatis monumento fruere.").

Approximate number of copies printed: 2725.

States: 226.1 only.

Cartographic sources: Ortelius mentions Valerius Flaccus, Orpheus and Apollonius Rhodius as his prime sources.

Remarks: depiction of the roamings of Iason and his companions in their quest for the Golden Fleece, on their ship named Argo. Ortelius, basing himself on a host of classical authors, counts more than 80 Argonauts by name, and provides sources for each of them as he established them in ancient writings.

Text

Bibliographical sources

No topographical names available