Ortelius's two-sheet map of Ancient Egypt

ORTELIUS, Abraham.

Aegyptus Antiqua.
Antwerp, 1592, Latin text edition. Original colour with later additions. Two sheets conjoined, total 790 x 480mm.

Small split in centre fold repaired.

A splendid map of Egypt drawn by Abraham Ortelius himself for his 'Parergon', his atlas of the Ancient World. The Nile is shown south to Philae, with the known cities and temples of Ancient Egypt along its length.
Using classical writers like Diodorus, Herodotus, Strabo and Pliny as his sources, Ortelius created a map described by Peter Meurer of the University of Utrecht as 'an outstanding example of early scientific research on Egypt'.
This map is relatively scarce: first published in 1584, it was replaced in 1595 by a single-sheet version. Van den Broecke estimates only 1825 examples were printed.

VAN DEN BROECKE: 120 & 121.
Stock ID : 22896