ABRAHAM ORTELIUS: BIOGRAPHY, THEORIES AND OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2024

Abraham Ortelius (1527-1598) was a mathematician, geographer, cartographer and cosmographer of Belgian origin. His important work gave him the title of "the 16th century Ptolemy", a nickname given to him by his own colleagues and which made reference to the teacher Claudio Ptolemy, considered one of the fathers of astronomy.

This nickname also indicated the weight of the work of this flamenco for its time and the importance it had within its guild. His work was unmatched in its time and represented a great advance in the world of maps. For that reason he was known as the father of flamenco cartography.

Abraham Ortelius (1527-1598)

Its most important publication is Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, recognized as the first modern atlas. Even he is attributed the chronological order that is currently used in the books of this class, organized as follows: world map, Europe, Asia, Africa and America, called at that time the New World.

This creation originally consisted of 70 cartographies, the majority from the European continent. However, the success of this manual was so great that it was modernized countless times and new maps were added until 1612.

One of the greatest innovations of this atlas was the clearest appearance of North America to date, even though the coastline beyond California was only traces.

Biography

Birth and studies

Ortelius was born in Antwerp, Belgium, on April 14, 1527. At an early age his father passed away, so his upbringing and that of his sisters Anne and Elisabeth fell to his uncle.

Part of his life was marked by changes, movements and fear of persecution due to the fact that his family was accused of being a Protestant, a fact that forced them to constantly relocate and move to another province.

However, the alterations in his home were not an excuse for his preparation. Also, the wealth of his family allowed him to have a good education and training.

During his youth he studied Greek, Latin and mathematics in good schools, and since then he has excelled in scientific societies and for his humanistic work.

First jobs

After preparing academically, he returned to his hometown where he settled for a long time. There he carried out various jobs: the first made him learn the trade of engraver and then he worked as a map illuminator, a role that convinced him to dedicate himself to cartography.

At just 27 years old, Ortelius went into business. In principle, it was dedicated only to the sale of maps, coins and old articles; More than an occupation, this work became a passion.

Thanks to his business he traveled to different parts of the world, especially to various areas of Europe. During these journeys he related to important figures, academics and scholars, among which the English writer and historian Richard Hakluyt and the mathematician John Dee stood out.

Likewise, in these adventures he obtained dense cartographic material, which was his inspiration for the next few years and allowed him to give to the society of the 16th century a broader vision of what planet Earth was at that time.

He also collected part of the beliefs and fears that the discoveries brought, especially from America, called the New World. In the midst of this context, on several occasions in his life he visited France, the Netherlands, England and the Italian peninsula, among other countries.

Introduction to cartography

From 1560 Ortelius devoted himself to drawing and sketching maps. He found cartographies of Egypt, Asia and the Roman Empire that he later traced and colored, adding new data and information.

This raid quickly brought him profits, as it was a time when the discovery of new lands whetted an appetite for novel maritime and land trade routes. For this reason, having plans of the zones was essential to reinvent businesses.

The key to the success of this flamingo came when he realized that the findings of the American continent and the Pacific Ocean left behind all the maps that had been created so far.

It was then that Ortelius, together with the Flemish mathematician, cartographer and geographer, Gerardus Mercator, dedicated himself to offering the world of his time a more up-to-date, detailed and accurate chart of the graphic representation of the planet.

Official geographer of Felipe II

This was a title that was awarded to him in 1575. The Spanish humanist Arias Montano was the one who had the idea of ​​naming Ortelius the official geographer of Felipe II. Witnesses point out that the relationship between the king and the Flemish mathematician was very close.

This relationship allowed the Belgian to have access to various privileged information collected in archives of Spanish and Portuguese, among other European countries. In addition, the trust that existed between the monarch and the cartographer was so great that I even entrusted him with various tasks that were not directly related to his work as a geographer.

It is worth noting that Ortelius did not rub shoulders with royalty alone. He also created links with notable merchants, thinkers, scientists, and humanists, a fact that helped create interest in his work.

Death

Abraham Ortelius died in his hometown on June 28, 1598. The news devastated his relatives, friends and the entire town, as this geographer had great recognition for his work.

Today his drawings, possessions, works and other belongings are among the objects most desired by collectors and lovers of cartography; Furthermore, they are pieces yearned for by the most important libraries and archives in the world.

Cartography and antiquities allowed Abraham Ortelius to accumulate a fortune that made him enjoy trips, fulfill dreams and goals, and leave a mark on the history of the world and its conception within society.

Theories

For this flamenco, cartography was his job and his passion. His knowledge given by his own experience and experience, added to the study of others, allowed him to create a fairly reliable vision of what the world was like at that time, much more known in Europe and Asia than in other areas such as America.

However, Ortelius's maps received various criticisms from his colleagues and other scholars.

Some highlighted the inaccuracy especially in the lines that demarcated the American continent, and the use of wrong scales in various areas such as Australia, Mexico and Antarctica.

Despite the complaints and conflicting opinions, the work of this Belgian showed several novel elements for his time and this is evident in his maps.

Continental drift

Atlas of Abraham Ortelius

His atlas was the first proof of what was later called continental drift. This cartographer faithfully believed in the theory that, in its primitive state, the Earth was composed of a single mass; that is, by a supercontinent called Pangea.

This thought arose from the careful observation that the edges of the different continents coincided and fit together.

Although this hypothesis was developed later, specifically in 1912 by the German Alfred Wegener, Ortelius suggested that America was separated from Europe and Africa by earth movements such as earthquakes, floods and other natural phenomena.

Every time the Belgian was asked about this belief, his answer was based on the drawing of the continents, checking the synchrony between the lines of one and the other. For him, the result was obvious and did not need further explanation or demonstration.

This argument did not penetrate several of the European scholars of his time, but the passing of the years gave Ortelius an opportunity to verify his conceptions.

Beliefs and myths

A curious fact, also exposed in the most recognized work of this cartographer, was the belief in the existence of mythological animals, creatures and monsters that inhabited the bottom of the oceans; This fact was evidenced in the drawings that served to identify the sea within their maps.

Likewise, he expressed part of the dogmas of the time. For example, in the area of ​​Patagonia, in South America, he wrote in Latin the inscription Patagonum regio ubi incole sunt giants, whose translation in Spanish is "Patagonia, a region where the inhabitants were giants."

This phrase expressed how the European imagined the man who lived in the more temperate region of South America.

Another interesting point is that specialists highlighted at the time the caution of the "16th century Ptolemy", and this statement was made after seeing that he stated that "the northernmost regions are still unknown", in reference to the American continent. Therefore, they presumed that he did not venture into areas about which he had no information.

What Ortelius did take as true was the account of the existence of the cities of Cibola and Quivira, golden civilizations that were identified in California, a region that for the first time was shown as a peninsula in its lower part.

Other contributions

Without a doubt, the most important contribution that Abraham Ortelius left was what is considered the first modern atlas, Theatrum Orbis Terrarum. In 1570, the year of its publication, it was an important innovation.

It was a collection compiled in 53 sheets consisting of an introduction, an index of tables and a gazetteer that translated proper names of places.

This publication also had a catalog of authors that grouped a series of maps by different creators. It was the first time that 87 scholars in this field had credit in the same piece.

It had 31 editions in the six most important languages ​​at that time: English, Spanish, French, German, Dutch and Italian.

Each year more data was added and the information was refined. Errors were also corrected which, due to lack of knowledge, were not specified on this cartographer's maps.

Currently, this work is available in many languages ​​and there are countless versions that have been made of it. In 1612 alone, this atlas consisted of 167 maps.

Deorum dearumque capita e veteribus numismatibus, Italiae antiquae specimen, Sintagma herbarum encomiasticum, former Ortelii Museum

Ortelius' travels gave him new information and an increased passion for cartography. They also allowed him to purchase antiques and artistic pieces, including a large number of coins.

The work Deorum dearumque capita e veteribus numismatibus, Italiae antiquae specimen, Sintagma herbarum encomiasticum, ex Museo Ortelii focused on the study of these tools used as a unit of account.

At that time, many of these were made of precious metals and contained symbols that were related to mythology and the gods.

Synonymia geographica

It was a text published in 1578. This document written in Latin, like most of his works, is an analysis and critique of ancient geography.

In its pages towns, regions, islands, cities, towns and even names of the topography corresponding to the beginning of civilizations were studied.

Itinerarium per nonnullas Galliae Belgicae parts

In 1584 Ortelius used his experience on a trip made nine years earlier to the Rhine area, in northwestern Europe, to edit this work.

It was a set of maps that showed ancient history from two points of view: the sacred life and the existence of the profane.

Thesaurus geographicus

This contribution was the reissue of Synonymia geographica. It was based on the history of Africa, America and Asia reflected in cartographies.

It consisted of the detailed description of these continents through the narration and graphic representation that this scientist handled so well.

Epitome

The translation into Spanish of the full title of this book is Epítome del teatro del mundo. It was printed in 1588 and compiled for the first time and in full with more than 94 cartographies of the world. Each map was accompanied by a review with data on that region.

Parergon

It is considered the last important work of Ortelius and unites two of his hobbies: cartography and coins. This work is made up of 38 maps from the ancient era related to different currency papers.

This work is also recognized by some experts as an appendix to the main research on this flamingo, with the difference that it is not sketches acquired from other researchers, but rather original from the Belgian himself.

References

1. "Cartographica Neerlandica" in Ortelius Maps. Retrieved on October 17, 2018 from Ortelius Maps: orteliusmaps.com
2. "Abraham Ortelius" in Biographies and Lives. Retrieved on October 17, 2018 from Biographies and Lives: biografiasyvidas.com
3. López, A. "Abraham Ortelius, the cartographer of the first world atlas in the 16th century" (May 2018) in El País. Retrieved on October 17, 2018 from El País: elpais.com
4. "Abraham Ortelius" in Geoinstitutos. Retrieved on October 17, 2018 from Geoinstitutos: geoinstitutos.com
5. "Abraham Ortelius" in Ecured. Retrieved on October 17, 2018 from Ecured: ecured.cu