Lot #: 84769
Taprobana [Ceylon.] |
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Views: 308
|
Description
A 1550's, Münster / Ptolemy map of Ceylon, Sri Lanka, or 'Taprobrana' - The legendary island. The full title reads : Sumatra ein grosse Insel, so von den alten Geographen Taprobana / ist genent worden.
The Greek explorer and historian Megasthenes wrote that Taprobana was divided by a river and was abundant in pearls and gold. Taprobana was located somewhere in the Indian Ocean and usually shown on historical maps as a large island south of India.
There have been many theories about the identity of the island. Some thought Taprobana could have been a phantom island, Madagascar, or the lower peninsula of India; however, most geographers believed that the island was either Sumatra or Sri Lanka (Ceylon).
In AD 150, Claudius Ptolemy wrote his treatise 'Geographia' which greatly influenced later geographers. The map below is based on Ptolemy’s description of the world. Taprobana is shown as a very large island south of Asia. In AD 77, the author and naturalist, Pliny the Elder, wrote an encyclopaedic book titled Natural History.
Pliny wrote about the story of 'Annius Plocamus', a Roman tax collector who lived during the reign of Claudius (AD 41-54). Plocamus sent a freed slave to collect taxes in the Red Sea. His ship was blown off course and landed on Taprobana.
The freed man described forests of trees that grew in the seas that surrounded the island. The trees broke the rudders of ships. People who lived on the island hunted elephants, tigers, and turtles with shells large enough to house whole families. Pliny also wrote that Taprobana was inhabited by 'Sciapodes', men with one giant foot which they used to shade themselves while lying on their backs.
Many stories were written about Taprobana. The island was described in the 14th century book The Travels of Sir John Mandeville as having mountains of pure gold which were guarded by giant man-eating ants. Ludovico di Varthema, an Italian traveler visited Taprobana in the early 16th century.
Vathema wrote “it exports elephants that are larger and nobler than those found elsewhere.” He also stated “the island of Taprobane is today called Sumatra.” Ancient Sri Lankan chronicles describe a kingdom named Tambapanni.
According to the chronicles Prince Vijaya landed on an island named Lanka after he was exiled from India. Prince Vijaya ruled the island from 543 BC to 505 BC and named it Tambapanni. It is theorized that the name Taprobana was a Greek or Roman alteration of Tambapanni. Based on the ancient Sinhalese chronicles and similarity of names, most historians today believe Taprobana was present day Sri Lanka.
From a 1550's edition of Munster's 'Cosmographia', one of the most important works of the 16th century. Sebastien Munster is generally regarded as one of the important map makers of the 16th century. He was a linguist and mathematician, who initially taught Hebrew in Heidelberg.
He issued his first mapping of Germany in 1529, after which he issued a call for geographical information about Germany to scholars throughout the country. The response was better than hoped for, and included substantial foreign material which supplied him with up to date, if not necessarily accurate maps for the issuance of his 'Cosmographia'.
Reference: Karrow
The Greek explorer and historian Megasthenes wrote that Taprobana was divided by a river and was abundant in pearls and gold. Taprobana was located somewhere in the Indian Ocean and usually shown on historical maps as a large island south of India.
There have been many theories about the identity of the island. Some thought Taprobana could have been a phantom island, Madagascar, or the lower peninsula of India; however, most geographers believed that the island was either Sumatra or Sri Lanka (Ceylon).
In AD 150, Claudius Ptolemy wrote his treatise 'Geographia' which greatly influenced later geographers. The map below is based on Ptolemy’s description of the world. Taprobana is shown as a very large island south of Asia. In AD 77, the author and naturalist, Pliny the Elder, wrote an encyclopaedic book titled Natural History.
Pliny wrote about the story of 'Annius Plocamus', a Roman tax collector who lived during the reign of Claudius (AD 41-54). Plocamus sent a freed slave to collect taxes in the Red Sea. His ship was blown off course and landed on Taprobana.
The freed man described forests of trees that grew in the seas that surrounded the island. The trees broke the rudders of ships. People who lived on the island hunted elephants, tigers, and turtles with shells large enough to house whole families. Pliny also wrote that Taprobana was inhabited by 'Sciapodes', men with one giant foot which they used to shade themselves while lying on their backs.
Many stories were written about Taprobana. The island was described in the 14th century book The Travels of Sir John Mandeville as having mountains of pure gold which were guarded by giant man-eating ants. Ludovico di Varthema, an Italian traveler visited Taprobana in the early 16th century.
Vathema wrote “it exports elephants that are larger and nobler than those found elsewhere.” He also stated “the island of Taprobane is today called Sumatra.” Ancient Sri Lankan chronicles describe a kingdom named Tambapanni.
According to the chronicles Prince Vijaya landed on an island named Lanka after he was exiled from India. Prince Vijaya ruled the island from 543 BC to 505 BC and named it Tambapanni. It is theorized that the name Taprobana was a Greek or Roman alteration of Tambapanni. Based on the ancient Sinhalese chronicles and similarity of names, most historians today believe Taprobana was present day Sri Lanka.
From a 1550's edition of Munster's 'Cosmographia', one of the most important works of the 16th century. Sebastien Munster is generally regarded as one of the important map makers of the 16th century. He was a linguist and mathematician, who initially taught Hebrew in Heidelberg.
He issued his first mapping of Germany in 1529, after which he issued a call for geographical information about Germany to scholars throughout the country. The response was better than hoped for, and included substantial foreign material which supplied him with up to date, if not necessarily accurate maps for the issuance of his 'Cosmographia'.
Reference: Karrow
FAQ - Guarantee - Shipping
In our BUY-or-BID sale, you never pay more than the Buy price.
To buy or bid in this Buy-or-Bid sale you must register with us. It is free, and we automatically update you about future auctions.During the Buy-or-Bid sale, you can buy or bid on 600- 900 antique, rare maps, town views, old master prints, decorative prints, atlases, posters and Medieval manuscripts.
- We show the "Bid & Ask spread" (to define the gap between the minimum accepted bid and Buy price.)
- Items that have received bids within the BidAsk spread are sold at the highest bid at closing.
- Once the Buy price is paid, the sale for this item has closed.
Do you have a similar item you want to sell ?
Interested in selling your antique maps, original prints, vintage posters, or historic Ephemera?Let us help you!
Start your consignment today. We provide estimates free of charge from photographs sent via the Internet. Fill out our online estimation form, and we will contact you with an estimate.
Learn more about consigning at RarePaperSales.com
Guarantee
We warranty the authenticity of each lot offered in our sale. There is no time limitation to this guarantee.- Defects in lots have been carefully noted.
- If there are no remarks regarding splits, tears, discoloration, etc., there are no issues to be found for the item!
- All items are carefully and personally examined before being packed "in-house" and shipped by UPS, USPS, DHL or registered mail.
- We do not sell reproductions.
- A certificate of authenticity is provided for each acquired item and can be downloaded from your invoice page.
- Certificates can be found in the Invoice and Certificates center.
Shipping
Maps are shipped in solid tubes or flat between solid cardboard. Fully insured, signature required, and with online tracking. Shortly after shipment, you will get the tracking number by email.The standard is that we ship items by UPS or DHL for European destinations, and a flat shipping fee is added to each shipment. It is a one-time fee even if you buy multiple items. This fee covers shipping and insurance (up to the invoice amount) to:
- North America, Canada, Europe $ 30
- Asia $ 40
- For South America, Mauritius, Africa and Australia a shipping fee of $ 50 will be charged.
We charge only a one-time shipping fee if you have won 2 or more items.
Hold Shipment Service
Rare Paper Sales allows you to put your shipping on hold at no additional charge. This can be incredibly convenient for people who want to buy several items at different auctions and ship them together. The service is free, and you pay only one shipment fee.
Contact us if you want to use the Hold Service.
High-Resolution Digital Image Download |
|
RarePaperSales maintains an archive of most of our high-resolution rare maps, prints, posters and medieval manuscript scans. We make them freely available for download and study. Read more about free image download |