Exhibit Opens on Ortelius Maps from Samoukas Collection
Original maps of Abraham Ortelius from Margarita Samourka’s Collection are displayed in the Basil Room of the Gennadius Library through February 28, 2011. The exhibition presents the maps of the Greek world that were included in the works of Abraham Ortelius (1527-1598), the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (Theater of the World), the first atlas in the modern sense of the term, as well as in the Parergon, the annex of historical maps of the Theatrum. The maps of modern geography included in the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (1570-1598) all come from the large map collection compiled by Abraham Ortelius. The exhibition features the cartographic resources on which Ortelius based his maps of Greece and its regions. As the models used by Ortelius were the most reliable and accurate maps of the 16th century, the exhibition presents a panorama of the first century of printed cartography of Greece. Among these maps there are rare copies of Ptolemy’s maps, as well as rare editions of Italian maps printed in two or more sheets, such as those by Gastaldi and Bertelli. Contrary to the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, the Parergon (1579-1601) includes maps of ancient geography, drawn by Ortelius himself. His goal was a cartographic narration of ancient heritage, the “theater” of the christianized Greco-Roman world. Ortelius devotes nearly one third of the maps of the Parergon (10 maps and 2 views) to ancient Greece and the dissemination of its civilization. Ortelius emphasizes the universal and cultural dimension of the diffusion of the Greek people and their culture, through thematic maps that refer to migration and exploration (Argonautica, Odyssey, Alexander’s campaigns, Arrian). The exhibition follows the diffusion and further elaboration of Ortelius’ Greek maps, as these were a nodal point in the history of cartographic representations of Greece and its place in history for more than two centuries. The exhibition was curated by George Tolias of the National Hellenic Research Foundation, and designed by Constantinos Staikos. A lecture by George Tolias marked the opening of the exhibition on January 20, 2011. It is available on videocast. Duration of the exhibition: January 20, 2011 – February 28, 2011. Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday: 9:00am – 5:00 pm Thursday: 9:00am – 8:00pm, Saturday: 9:00am – 2:00pm, Sunday: closed