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Description

Nice example of Girolamo Ruscelli's Ptolemaic map covering regions of present-day northern Greece, the southern Balkans, and western Turkey.

The map reflects the influence of the 2nd-century Greco-Roman scholar, Claudius Ptolemy, whose work in geography formed a foundation for later cartography. Ptolemy's Geographia, offered an extensive view of the known world and was often referenced by later mapmakers, including Ruscelli.

Ruscelli was an Italian scholar, with interests spanning geography, alchemy, and cartography. Living during the Renaissance, he was part of the wave of scientific discovery and cultural growth of the period.  The map focuses on a region with a rich historical background. It includes the northern part of modern-day Greece, the southern Balkans, displaying the landscapes of what is now Albania, North Macedonia, and Bulgaria. The map also reaches into western Turkey, providing a glimpse into the early influence of the Ottoman Empire. 

Girolamo Ruscelli Biography

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.