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This historical map of Italy presents a detailed depiction of Italy, divided into the eleven administrative regions established by Emperor Augustus (27 BCE – 14 CE).
Senex's map reflects the cartographic scholarship of the 18th century, combining classical geographical knowledge with astronomical observations and ancient itinerary measurements. Senex credits the work of French Royal Geographer Guillaume Delisle (1675–1726) as the source for the map.
The map meticulously illustrates Italy during the Roman Empire, with each of Augustus’ eleven regional divisions outlined in hand-colored borders. The Tyrrhenian, Adriatic, Ligurian, and Sicilian Seas are labeled with their classical names, while the islands of Sardinia, Corsica, and Sicily are depicted with ancient settlements marked. Major rivers, mountain ranges, and cities are represented, including Rome (Roma), Naples (Neapolis), Milan (Mediolanum), and Venice (Venetia).
This map is part of the Enlightenment tradition of classical cartography, where European scholars sought to reconstruct the ancient world based on Roman texts, itineraries, and astronomical observations. The division of Italy into eleven regions was part of Augustus’ efforts to establish a more efficient and organized system of provincial governance. The use of ancient itinerary measurements, such as those found in the Itinerarium Antonini or the Tabula Peutingeriana, is indicative of the efforts undertaken to compile from the best available sources.
John Senex (1678-1740) was one of the foremost mapmakers in England in the early eighteenth century. He was also a surveyor, globemaker, and geographer. As a young man, he was apprenticed to Robert Clavell, a bookseller. He worked with several mapmakers over the course of his career, including Jeremiah Seller and Charles Price. In 1728, Senex was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society, a rarity for mapmakers. The Fellowship reflects his career-long association as engraver to the Society and publisher of maps by Edmund Halley, among other luminaries. He is best known for his English Atlas (1714), which remained in print until the 1760s. After his death in 1740 his widow, Mary, carried on the business until 1755. Thereafter, his stock was acquired by William Herbert and Robert Sayer (maps) and James Ferguson (globes).
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