Plate 5
Ptolemy (Claudius Ptolemaeus),
Alexandrian Greek, active 146–c. 170
Untitled map of the world

15¾ x 21⅝ in. (40 x 55 cm)
Ulm, Germany, 1482

Included in one of only four Ptolemaic atlases to be printed in the late 15th century, this map represents the Ptolemaic concept of the world. It was accompanied by a series of striking, hand-colored woodcuts that became some of the earliest and most famous geographical images.