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Abraham Ortelius under the spell of classical antiquity


Antwerp, Belgium

Organisation: Rockoxhuis

Ortelius is generally recognised as having created the first modern atlas, the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (Theatre of the World), published in Antwerp in 1570. He is also believed to be the first person to have questioned the early historical maps, proposing instead that the continents had been joined together before drifting apart to their current position. Ortelius also had a passionate interest in the history of classical antiquity and Biblical history.
In his first edition of the Theatrum, he already refers to place names in Antiquity, and this subsequently results in a separate publication in 1587, the Thesaurus Geographicus. And again in his Parergon, a collection of his historical maps that he had previously published in various editions of the Theatrum, he portrays ancient history, sacred and secular, and shows the extent of the Roman Empire in Europe.
This exhibition will include a range of these historical maps together with some printed works showing Ortelius's reconstructions. Visitors will be able to follow how Ortelius collected his knowledge and then visualised it in map book form. This exhibition in the Rockox House is a joint venture with the Plantin-Moretus Museum / Print Collection in Antwerp.
Venue: Rockoxhuis, Keizerstraat 12, 2000 Antwerp
Telephone: +32 3 201 92 50
E-mail: inforockoxhuis@kbc.be
Time schedule: Tuesday to Sunday 10.00 to 17.00
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