A fascinating historical map by Abraham Ortelius depicting the Indian Ocean (here referred to as the Erythraeum vel Rubrum Mare), understood in its classical sense: a vast basin stretching from the eastern coasts of Africa to the mysterious reaches of Southeast Asia.
Published in the 1624 edition of the Parergon—Ortelius’s famous historical atlas—and printed in Antwerp at the prestigious printing house of Balthasar Moretus, the map stands as a true geographical and literary masterpiece: not merely a map, but the visual representation of an epic.
On the left, we find the coast of East Africa (Barbaria and Azania), the Red Sea (Arabicus Sinus), and the Arabian Peninsula divided into its classical regions (Arabia Evdaemon or Felix).
In the center, the Indian Peninsula (divided into Ariaca and Limyrica) and the large island of Taprobana (modern-day Sri Lanka) stand out.
On the right, the geography becomes more speculative with the Sinus Gangeticus (Bay of Bengal) and the Aurea Chersonesus (the Malay Peninsula), which stretches southward, grazing the eastern edges of the known world (Magnus Sinus).
The shape of the coastlines is strongly influenced by Ptolemaic tradition and classical texts, creating a fascinating geometric anachronism when compared to Ortelius’s own “modern” maps.
At the top, on either side of the large title cartouche, Ortelius includes two elegant circular medallions that symbolically link the Erythraean Sea to the rest of the ancient explorations:
On the left – Annonis Periplus: It depicts West Africa and describes the legendary voyage of the Carthaginian admiral Hanno the Navigator. It features place names linked to the myth and early African explorations, such as the territories of the Troglodytae and the region of perfumes (Thymiata rum regio).
On the right – Hyperborei: It depicts the Arctic regions of Northern Europe and Asia, focusing on the Hyperborean peoples. It is an area dominated by the Arctic Ocean and the myth of Atlantis, graphically evoked here through the inscription “Atlantis Insula” visible at the far left edge of the circle.
At the bottom center is a large inset containing a second map, “Ulyssis Errores” (The Wanderings of Ulysses), which extends far beyond the main geographical area of the Indian Ocean into the Ionian and Aegean Seas.
Here, Ortelius maps the mythological journey of Ulysses as described in Homer’s Odyssey. The inset includes peninsular Greece, the Ionian Islands (including Ithaca), the coasts of eastern Sicily (Thrinacia), and southern Italy. Its inclusion in the Parergon reflects the author’s desire to condense the great maritime voyages of classical antiquity into a single map (Anno in the west, Ulysses in the central Mediterranean, the Periplus in the east).
The mainland area is densely annotated with lengthy notes in Latin, which serve as a veritable historical commentary. Among the most significant:
The Large Block of Text (top right): This is a detailed critical note in which Ortelius discusses the identity of the author of the *Periplus*. He explicitly cites the great Italian humanist Giovanni Battista Ramusio (Io. Bapt. Ramusio) and his collection *Navigationi et Viaggi*, highlighting the philological debate over the work’s authorship (whether attributable to Arrian of Nicomedia or to an anonymous first-century merchant).
Fantastic Peoples and Goods: Along the coasts of Arabia and Africa, nomadic and historical peoples are indicated, such as the Ichthyophagi (fish-eaters) along the barren coasts, and the rich regions of spices such as the Thurifera Regio (the region of incense in Hadramaut).
The Parergon (from the Greek for “subsidiary work” or “addition”) originally began in 1579 as an appendix of a few historical maps attached to Ortelius’s main atlas, the Theatrum. However, Ortelius’s passion for archaeology, numismatics, and classical texts drove him to develop this work independently. The Parergon thus became a standalone historical atlas, a masterpiece of sacred and profane geography. Within its pages, geographical boundaries served to illustrate the journeys of Saint Paul, the Roman Empire, Homer’s Odyssey, and the monumental campaigns of Alexander the Great. The 1624 edition printed by Moretus represents the spiritual and scientific testament of this vision, blending the geometric precision of the Anvers school of cartography with the sophisticated taste of the Late Renaissance.
Abraham Ortelius (1527–1598) Born in Anvers, Abraham Ortelius is widely considered the father of the modern atlas. Trained as a map illuminator and a dealer in books and prints, his career shifted toward scientific cartography following a pivotal meeting with Gerardus Mercator in 1554. The Theatrum Orbis Terrarum: In 1570, he published the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, the first atlas in history to feature maps of uniform format accompanied by descriptive texts. The work achieved monumental success, being reprinted forty-two times and translated into seven languages. Intellectual Contributions: Ortelius was a pioneer of intellectual ethics, systematically citing the sources for his maps. In 1575, his renown led to his appointment as the Royal Geographer to Philip II of Spain. Remarkably, he anticipated the theory of continental drift by three centuries, hypothesizing as early as 1596 that the Earth’s landmasses were once joined together. Legacy: Ortelius passed away in Anvers in 1598, leaving behind a profound legacy that would define European cartography for generations.
