Abstract
This incunabula world map was published in Hartmann Schedel's "Nuremberg Chronicle" over 500 years ago. It is a remarkable record of late medieval cartography, combining the concepts of Claudius Ptolemy with the Biblical tradition. It shows the world divided between the three sons of Noah: Shem (Asia), Japheth (Europe) and Ham (Africa). The fine border vignettes depict fabled mythical creatures, often half-human and half-animal in form, believed to exist outside and beyond Christendom.
Map Inscription
Japheth, Shem and Ham not being sufficient in number to cover the four corners of the map, the fourth corner was filled with the following inscription in Latin:
Ventorum quatuor cardinales sunt Primum, septentrio flat rectus ab axe, faciens frigora et nubes; huic dexter circius nives et grandines. A sinistris Boreas constringens. Secundus, subsolanus ab ortu temperatus; vulturnus deluctans eurus nubes generans. Tertium, auster humidus fulmineus. A dextris euro auster calidus; a sinistris euro nothus tempestuosis. Quartus, Zephyrus, hiemem resolvens producens flores; a latere affricus generans fulmins et corpus nubile faciens.
Translation of Map Inscription
The four cardinal winds are: Firstly, Septrentrio, which blows straight from the Pole, producing cold and clouds; at its right Circius, snow and hail; at its left Boreas, constricts by freezing. Secondly, Subsolanus, is tempered by its origin; Vulturnus is a dry wind; Eurus produces clouds. Thirdly, Auster is moust and produces lightening; at its right Euro, hot; at its left Euronotus, stormy. Fourthly, Zephyrus, putting an end to winter and bringing forth blossoms; at its side Africus, generating thunderstorms and producing clouds in masses.
Place Names on the Map
AFFRICA Africa
ANGLIA England
ARABIA FELIX S.E. Arabia, anciently
ASIA MINOR Asia Minor
BRECIA Brescia
CANDIA Crete
CARTHAGO Carthage
CIPRIUM Cyprus
COLLONE HERCULES Pillars of Hercules
CORSICA Corsica
DACIA Denmark
DALMACIA Dalmatia
EGYPT Egypt
ETHIOPIA Ethiopia
ETHIOPIA INTERIOR Ethiopia Interior
FELIX Arabia Felix
FRANCIA France
GALICIA Gallaecia (A province in N.W. Spain)
HIBERNIA Ireland
HIERUSALEM Jerusalem
HISPANIA Spain
INDIA EE GANGEM India beyond the Ganges
INDIA INTRA GANGEM India within the Ganges
INSULE FORTUNATE Fortunate Islands (Canaries)
ITALIA Italy
JUDEA Judea
LIVONIA Livonia (now partly in Latvia)
MARE CASPIUM Caspian Sea
MARE INDICUM Indian Ocean
MARE MEDITERRANEUM Mediterranean Sea
MARE RUBOR Red Sea
MARE PERSIUM Pesian Gulf
MARITIMA ETHIOPIA Maritime Ethiopia
MAURITANIA Mauretania (now Morocco and part of Algeria)
MEDIA Media
MONS SINAI Mt. Sinai
MOSCA Moscovy
NILUS FLUVIS Nile River
NOGARDUM Novgorod
PALUS MAEOTIS Swamps of Maeotis (Sea of Azov)
PARTHIA Parthia
PERSIA Persia
POLONA Poland
PRUSSIA Prussia
RHODOS Rhodes
SARDINNA Sardinia
SAXONIA Saxony
SCITHIA Scythia
SCOCIA (SCOTIA) Scotland
SICILIA Sicily
SERICA Serica
A tract of country in the eastern part of Asia inhabited by people called Seres. According to Ptolemy, it was bounded on the west by Scythia extra Imaum, on the northeast by an unknown land, on the east by the Sinae, and on the south by India. Modern opinions vary respecting its site, but the best geographers concur in placing it at the northwest angle of the present empire of China. The name of Serica as a country was not known before the first century of our era, though there are earlier accounts of the people called Seres.
The first silk reached the Greeks and Romans from this region. The words “silk” and “serge” are certainly from Latin Seres (“the Chinese”); a word probably of Chinese origin, notwithstanding the fact that the Chinese do not employ the letter ‘r.’
SUECIA Sweden
TAPROBANA INSULA Ceylon
TARTARIA Tartary
TUNIS Tunis
UNGARIA Hungary
RUSSIA Russia
Pagination in “Nuremberg Chronicle”
Folio XI verso: Text in Latin.
Folio XII recto: 1st and 2nd vertical panels of seven illustrations on each; text in Latin.
Folio XII verso: 3rd panel with seven illustrations; 1/3 of the map
Folio XIII recto: 2/3 of the map.
圣经的影响：挪亚的三个儿子闪、含、雅弗
创10:2 雅弗的儿子是歌篾、玛各、玛代、雅完、土巴、米设、提拉。
创10:5 这些人的后裔，在列国的岛屿和沿海一带分地居住，各按各的方言、家族、邦国。
创10:6 含的儿子是古实、麦西、弗、迦南。
创10:19 迦南的境界是从西顿向基拉耳的路上，直到迦萨，又向所多玛、蛾摩拉、押玛、洗扁的路上，直到拉沙。
创10:20 这些就是含的子孙，各按他们的家族、方言、地土、邦国。
创10:30 他们所住的地方是从米沙直到西发，东边的山地。
创10:31 这些就是闪的子孙，各按他们的家族、方言、地土、邦国。
创10:32 这些都是挪亚三个儿子的家族，各按他们的族系、邦国。洪水以后他们在地上分为邦国。
右上方的 Serica (拉丁语) = 产丝绸的国家 = 中國。
亚、欧、非三大洲位置大致准确。
反映中世纪晚期西人对世界的认知。
Map Inscription
Japheth, Shem and Ham not being sufficient in number to cover the four corners of the map, the fourth corner was filled with the following inscription in Latin:
Ventorum quatuor cardinales sunt Primum, septentrio flat rectus ab axe, faciens frigora et nubes; huic dexter circius nives et grandines. A sinistris Boreas constringens. Secundus, subsolanus ab ortu temperatus; vulturnus deluctans eurus nubes generans. Tertium, auster humidus fulmineus. A dextris euro auster calidus; a sinistris euro nothus tempestuosis. Quartus, Zephyrus, hiemem resolvens producens flores; a latere affricus generans fulmins et corpus nubile faciens.
Translation of Map Inscription
The four cardinal winds are: Firstly, Septrentrio, which blows straight from the Pole, producing cold and clouds; at its right Circius, snow and hail; at its left Boreas, constricts by freezing. Secondly, Subsolanus, is tempered by its origin; Vulturnus is a dry wind; Eurus produces clouds. Thirdly, Auster is moust and produces lightening; at its right Euro, hot; at its left Euronotus, stormy. Fourthly, Zephyrus, putting an end to winter and bringing forth blossoms; at its side Africus, generating thunderstorms and producing clouds in masses.
Cited from
Nuremberg Chronicle
http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=nur;cc=nur;view=text;idno=nur.001.0004;rgn=div2;node=nur.001.0004:4.7
Place Names on the Map
AFFRICA Africa
ANGLIA England
ARABIA FELIX S.E. Arabia, anciently
ASIA MINOR Asia Minor
BRECIA Brescia
CANDIA Crete
CARTHAGO Carthage
CIPRIUM Cyprus
COLLONE HERCULES Pillars of Hercules
CORSICA Corsica
DACIA Denmark
DALMACIA Dalmatia
EGYPT Egypt
ETHIOPIA Ethiopia
ETHIOPIA INTERIOR Ethiopia Interior
FELIX Arabia Felix
FRANCIA France
GALICIA Gallaecia (A province in N.W. Spain)
HIBERNIA Ireland
HIERUSALEM Jerusalem
HISPANIA Spain
INDIA EE GANGEM India beyond the Ganges
INDIA INTRA GANGEM India within the Ganges
INSULE FORTUNATE Fortunate Islands (Canaries)
ITALIA Italy
JUDEA Judea
LIVONIA Livonia (now partly in Latvia)
MARE CASPIUM Caspian Sea
MARE INDICUM Indian Ocean
MARE MEDITERRANEUM Mediterranean Sea
MARE RUBOR Red Sea
MARE PERSIUM Pesian Gulf
MARITIMA ETHIOPIA Maritime Ethiopia
MAURITANIA Mauretania (now Morocco and part of Algeria)
MEDIA Media
MONS SINAI Mt. Sinai
MOSCA Moscovy
NILUS FLUVIS Nile River
NOGARDUM Novgorod
PALUS MAEOTIS Swamps of Maeotis (Sea of Azov)
PARTHIA Parthia
PERSIA Persia
POLONA Poland
PRUSSIA Prussia
RHODOS Rhodes
SARDINNA Sardinia
SAXONIA Saxony
SCITHIA Scythia
SCOCIA (SCOTIA) Scotland
SICILIA Sicily
SERICA Serica
A tract of country in the eastern part of Asia inhabited by people called Seres. According to Ptolemy, it was bounded on the west by Scythia extra Imaum, on the northeast by an unknown land, on the east by the Sinae, and on the south by India. Modern opinions vary respecting its site, but the best geographers concur in placing it at the northwest angle of the present empire of China. The name of Serica as a country was not known before the first century of our era, though there are earlier accounts of the people called Seres.
The first silk reached the Greeks and Romans from this region. The words “silk” and “serge” are certainly from Latin Seres (“the Chinese”); a word probably of Chinese origin, notwithstanding the fact that the Chinese do not employ the letter ‘r.’
SUECIA Sweden
TAPROBANA INSULA Ceylon
TARTARIA Tartary
TUNIS Tunis
UNGARIA Hungary
RUSSIA Russia
Cited from
Nuremberg Chronicle
http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=nur;cc=nur;view=text;idno=nur.001.0004;rgn=div2;node=nur.001.0004:4.7
Pagination in “Nuremberg Chronicle”
Folio XI verso: Text in Latin.
Folio XII recto: 1st and 2nd vertical panels of seven illustrations on each; text in Latin.
Folio XII verso: 3rd panel with seven illustrations; 1/3 of the map
Folio XIII recto: 2/3 of the map.
— First English edition of the Nuremberg chronicle: being the Liber chronicarum of Dr. Hartmann Schedel
http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=nur;cc=nur;view=text;idno=nur.001.0004;rgn=div1;node=nur.001.0004:4
Click the following link to view some place names in Chinese–
http://ihome.ust.hk/~lbxwang/Second_age_of_the_world_1493_latin_wg.pdf
Please change link to the following URL
http://lbxwang.people.ust.hk/Second_age_of_the_world_1493_latin_wg.pdf