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Girolamo Ruscelli's map of ancient Greece, grounded in the work of Claudius Ptolemy, is a meticulous and informative representation of the ancient region.
Ruscelli's map translates the area of modern Greece as understood by Ptolemy, the 2nd-century geographer whose ideas on cartography greatly influenced Renaissance thought.
Ruscelli's map presents the major regions, cities, and geographical landmarks of Greece according to Ptolemy's original descriptions. The map is devoid of decorative flourishes or embellishments, emphasizing the conveyance of geographical information. This results in a straightforward and clear depiction, providing valuable insight into Renaissance cartographic practices and the enduring influence of Ptolemy's geographical studies.
Ruscelli's atlas, an expanded edition of Gastaldi's Atlas of 1548, has been described as the most comprehensive atlas produced between Martin Waldseemüller's Geographiae of 1513 and Abraham Ortelius's Theatrum of 1570. The maps by Ruscelli and Gastaldi were beautifully engraved on copper, marking a significant turning point in the history of cartography. Copper engraving allowed for greater detail than wood, making it the preferred medium for cartographic works going forward.
Girolamo Ruscelli (1500-1566) was a cartographer, humanist, and scholar from Tuscany. Ruscelli was a prominent writer and editor in his time, writing about a wide variety of topics including the works of Giovanni Boccaccio and Francesco Petrarch, Italian language, Italian poetry, medicine, alchemy, and militia. One of his most notable works was a translation of Ptolemy’s Geographia which was published posthumously.
There is limited information available about Ruscelli’s life. He was born in the Tuscan city of Viterbo to a family of modest means. He was educated at the University of Padua and moved between Rome and Naples until 1548, when he moved to Naples to work in a publishing house as a writer and proofreader. He remained in the city until his death in 1566.
