Claudius Ptolemy was a mathematician, astronomer and geographer who worked in Alexandria, then a part of the Roman Empire, in the 2nd century AD. One of the most learned and influential men of his time, his theories dominated both astronomy and geography for nearly 1500 years. His writings were kept alive by Arabic scholars during the Middle Ages and reemerged in Europe during the Renaissance. The birth of printing led to wide dissemination of his great works on astronomy and geography. There were a number of editions of his Geographia beginning in 1477. These early editions contained maps based on his original writings, known as Ptolemaic maps. As geographic knowledge increased with the explorations of Columbus, Magellan, Cabot and others, maps of the New World were added, and maps of the Old World were revised. Ptolemy's Geographia continued to be revised and published by some of the most important cartographers including Martin Waldseemuller, Sebastian Munster, Giacomo Gastaldi, Jodocus Hondius, and Gerard Mercator (whose last edition was published in 1730).

This is one of the earliest maps of India obtainable by today's collectors. This striking woodblock map provides a Ptolemaic view of the region between the deltas of the Indus and Ganges Rivers. It presents the region with undulating mountains, bold rivers and numerous ancient place names. Following Ptolemy's outline, southern India is severely truncated and the northern tip of Taprobana appears incorrectly to the west of the subcontinent. Waldseemuller's maps are among the most attractive and sought-after Ptolemaic maps.

References: Mickwitz & Miekkavaara #205-25.

Condition: A

A sharp impression on a sturdy sheet with the watermark of a small fleur-de-lis with a crown. There is light, marginal soiling and professional repairs to tiny stitching holes along the centerfold and to a chip along the left edge of the sheet. Remnants of hinge tape on verso.