Many features on the map were also based on new information coming from explorers. It’s also interesting to note that the Mississippi River does not appear on the map, and there is no trace of the Great Lakes. The eastern seaboard juts out eastward, illustrating the inaccurate measurements of longitudes at the time. At the time the map was made, much of North America was yet to be explored, so naturally, large parts of the geography are merely speculative. Ortelius designed the map according to previous world maps from other cartographers, but he also added new information based on his own guesses and estimates. Perhaps one of the most iconic maps ever made, it covers the entire world from pole to pole, revealing the shape and size of continents based on the knowledge of the time. 50 (Photo: Wikimedia Commons Public Domain)Īlthough the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum atlas didn’t contain many of Ortelius’ maps, it did feature his most famous- Typus Orbis Terrarum (1570). It is part of Ortelius's Atlas “Teatrum Orbis Terarum,” Antwerp, 1570, map no. The very first maps Ortelius produced were large wall maps of the world, Egypt, the Holy Land, Asia, Spain, and the Roman Empire-and from then on, his was hooked!Īn engraved map and coloured by hand. Ortelius began his career as a map colorist for Guild of Saint Luke in Antwerp in 1547, and then became a map designer at the Plantin company in 1587. During one trip to Poitiers, France, Ortelius met cartographer Gerard Mercator, who inspired him to start producing maps himself. Ortelius was fascinated by new discoveries and travel, so he began collecting books, prints, paintings, wall maps, and coins from all over Europe. The 16th century was a time of exploration, revolutionary inventions, and a new view of the world. During this time, there was a revival in the study of classical antiquity, history, Greek, and philosophy across Western Europe. Ortelius was born in Antwerp, Belgium on April 4, 1527, during the height of the humanist era. He is known as the inventor of the atlas-a book comprising multiple maps in one format and style. Portrait of Abraham Ortelius in his study by Constant Aimé Marie Cap (Photo: Wikimedia Commons Public Domain)Ībraham Ortelius is a key figure in the history of cartography.

Antique maps ortelius