Europe - Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania; Cellarius - Thracia Antiqua - 1732

Technical data

Original title Thracia Antiqua.
Author Christoph Cellarius, latinized name of Christoph Keller (1638–1707).
Designer and engraver Not indicated on the plate.
Publisher Officina di Johann Friedrich Gleditsch.
Place Leipzig, Germany.
Period 1732, referring to the Leipzig edition of 1731–1732.
Technique Copper engraving on copper with burin work and manually colored in a period not ascertained.
Support Rag paper.
Dimensions Impression 20.5 × 31 cm. Sheet 25 × 36 cm.
Composition Atlas plate in horizontal format, on a single sheet with a vertical editorial fold in the center. Indication “pag. 1296” engraved in the upper right.
Origin of work Notitia orbis antiqui, sive geographia plenior.
Ancient territories represented Thrace, with the regions of the Odrysians, the Bebes and the Cimmigers, and parts of Lower Mesia, Dacia, Macedonia and Asia Minor.
Current states and regions represented Bulgaria, southern Romania along the lower Danube, northeastern Greece with Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, northwestern Turkey with Eastern Thrace and the Anatolian shores of the Sea of Marmara and the Dardanelles.

Description

Historical-geographical map of ancient Thrace, bounded by the lower Danube, the Black Sea, the northern Aegean and the Propontis, the present Sea of Marmara. The plate distinguishes the provinces and territories of the ancient peoples and localizes centers such as Serdica (Sofia), Philippopolis (Plovdiv), Adrianopolis (Edirne), Byzantium (Istanbul) and Philippi (Philippi). The chains of the Hebrus and the Rhodope are shown with carved mountain profiles, while the course of the Hebrus, today the Maritsa, traverses the region to the Aegean. Along the coast are depicted the islands of Tasos, Samothrace and Imbros, as well as the Thracian Chersonese, the present Gallipoli peninsula.
Manual coloring distinguishes the border zones, reliefs and coasts, where blue emphasizes the coastline profile. In the upper left the title is inscribed in a figurative cartouche with figures in antique dress.

Historical-artistic note

German philologist and historian Cellarius dedicated the Notitia orbis antiqui to reconstructing the geography of the ancient world. The maps accompanied the text and allowed the localization of cities, peoples and regions cited by classical authors. In this plate the distribution of Thracian populations coexists with the nomenclature of Roman provinces, offering a historical reading of the territory between the Danube and the straits.

Condition Report

Good general state of conservation. Margins present on all four sides, with slight browning and small scattered spots. Central vertical editorial fold, with a paper support on the verso. The sheet shows wrinkles and slight creases, more evident on the verso, and a small hole in the upper margin near the fold. Back side free of printing, with transparency of the coloring and light diffuse stains. Engraving and toponyms clearly legible.