[Map of the lost island of Atlantis] Situs Insulae Atlantidis, a mari olim obsorptae ex mente Aegyptiorum et Platonis discriptio
Description
| Type of resource | cartographic |
|---|---|
| Form | cartographic image |
| Extent | 1 map : uncolored ; 6.5 x 4.5 on larger sheet of text in |
| Place | Amsterdam |
| Publication date | 1665 |
| Digital origin | reformatted digital |
| Map data | Scale not determined |
Creators/Contributors
| Associated with | Kircher |
|---|
Subjects
| Subject | Europe > Maps |
|---|---|
| Subject | Islands > Europe > Maps |
| Genre | Map |
Bibliographic information
| Note | Fascinating map of the mythical island of Atlantis, situationed in the Atlantic Ocean between Spain and America, which is named on the map. Fascinating early map showing the mythical island of Atlantis in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, from Kircher's Mundus Subterraneus, first published in Amsterdam in 1669. Kircher's work was the first serious effort to describe the physical makeup of the earth, proposing theories (sometimes fantastic) in the areas of physics, geography, geology, and chemistry. The present example is from a Latin edition and includes 5 leaves (10 pages) of descriptive text, derived from Plato, but including significant details not in the modern editions of Plato's account. Atlantis (named after the daughter of the Greek God Atlas) is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's Timaeus and Critias. Plato describes Atlantis as a naval power lying "in front of the Pillars of Hercules," which conquered many parts of Western Europe and Africa 9,000 years before the time of Solon, or approximately 9600 BC. After a failed attempt to invade Athens, Atlantis sank into the ocean "in a single day and night of misfortune". The possible existence of Atlantis was actively discussed and rejected throughout history. In modern times, the story of Atlantis was the subject of real debate. While little known during the Middle Ages, the story of Atlantis was rediscovered by Humanists in the Early Modern period. Plato's description inspired the utopian works of several Renaissance writers, like Francis Bacon's New Atlantis. Today, modern plate techtonics give additional credence the prospect that such and island could have existed, although the location of Atlantis will always be a source of intrigue and fascination. |
|---|---|
| Note | Map shows Europe, America, Caribbean, Mediterranean, African , World, Atlantic Ocean. |
| Available online |
|
| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/ss653pq8275 |
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- Image from the The Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection courtesy Stanford University Libraries. To obtain permission to publish or reproduce commercially, please contact the David Rumsey Map Center at rumseymapcenter@stanford.edu.
- Copyright
- Property rights reside with the repository, Copyright © Stanford University. Images may be reproduced or transmitted, but not for commercial use. For commercial use or commercial republication, contact rumseymapcenter@stanford.edu This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. By downloading any images from this site, you agree to the terms of that license.
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC-SA).
Collection
The Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection
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