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Description

Extremely rare map of the area centered on Upsala and Stockholm, from Olof Rudbeck's Atland Eller Manheim Dedean Japhetz Afkomme: Atlantica . . . , published in 4 volumes in Upsala between 1675 and 1702 and engraved by Philipp Jacob Theloff.

Rudbeck's Atlantica is the culmination of Swedish Gothicism, which was revitalized in order to glorify the new nation state. Rudbeck expands this tradition and sets out to prove that Sweden was the legendary island of Atlantis mentioned by Plato. He claims that all classical culture had its origin in the North in the proto-Swedish kingdom, and attempts to substitute Swedish etymology for Greek. Despite his extremism, the Atlantica is valued for its extensive discussion of myth and detailed description of artefacts.

Rudbeck's study of ancient mythology and medieval chronicles led him to believe that Plato's Atlantis referred to old Uppsala, and in this work he used this belief to provide historical justification for Sweden's claim to be a great European power. His attempts to reconcile classical authority with contemporary empirical observation caused great interest among European writers of the eighteenth century. An atlas volume was published in 1679, and a fourth volume of text in 1702, of which only three complete copies are known, as much of the edition was destroyed in the great Uppsala fire of 1702.

Condition Description
Minor printer's flaw near lower centerfold. Narrow left and right margins, with a bit of loss to the neat line.