TAB: IX ASIAE Continens ARIAM, PAROPANISUM, DRANGIANAM, ARACHOSIAM et
\nGEDROSIAM
\nMERCATOR, Gerard
\nc. 1697
\n45×32 cm <\/p>\n
A striking Ptolemaic map of Central Asia, centered on the Indus River.
\nThe map extends from the Gujarat region in the east to west of Karchi, the north to the
\nmountains.
\nMercator originally published this map in his 1578 edition of Ptolemy’s Geographia.
\nAlthough Mercator is most renowned today for the projection he popularized and for first
\nusing the term Atlas for a collection of maps, Mercator’s great dream was to produce an
\nimproved and updated edition of Ptolemy’s maps. Achieved toward the end of his lifetime,
\nthe maps were beautifully engraved and are widely regarded as one of the best and most
\naccomplished editions of Ptolemy, albeit one of the last.
\nGerard Mercator Biography
\nGerard Mercator is one of the most famous cartographers of all time. Mercator was born in
\nFlanders and educated at the Catholic University in Leuven. After his graduation in 1532,
\nMercator worked with Gemma Frisius, a prominent mathematician, and Gaspar a Myrica, a
\ngoldsmith and engraver. Together, these men produced globes and scientific instruments,
\nallowing Mercator to hone his skills.
\n11With his wife, Barbara, Mercator had six children: Arnold, Emerentia, Dorothes,
\nBartholomeus, Rumold, and Catharina. In 1552, Mercator moved to Duisburg from
\nLeuven, where he lived for the rest of his life. In 1564, he was appointed the official
\ncosmographer to the court of Duke Wilhelm of Cleve.
\nMercator\u2019s most important contribution was the creation and popularization of a projection
\nwhich now bears his name. On Mercator projection maps, all parallels and meridians are
\ndrawn at right angles to each other, with the distance between the parallels extending
\ntowards the poles. This allowed for accurate latitude and longitude calculation and also
\nallowed navigational routes to be drawn using straight lines, a huge advantage for sailors
\nas this allowed them to plot courses without constant recourse to adjusting compass
\nreadings.
\nMercator\u2019s other enduring contribution to cartography is the term \u201catlas\u201d, which was first
\nused to describe his collection of maps gathered in one volume. The Mercator atlas was
\npublished in 1595, a year after Mercator\u2019s death, thanks to the work of his sons,
\nparticularly Rumold, and his grandsons.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TAB: IX ASIAE Continens ARIAM, PAROPANISUM, DRANGIANAM, ARACHOSIAM et GEDROSIAM MERCATOR, Gerard c. 1697 45×32 cm A striking Ptolemaic map of Central Asia, centered on the Indus River. The map…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2577,"template":"","meta":[],"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[74,62],"product_tag":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-4416","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"product_cat-haritalar","7":"product_cat-diger-haritalar","9":"first","10":"outofstock","11":"purchasable","12":"product-type-simple"},"yoast_head":"\n