Nikolaos Sophianos's Totius Graeciae Descriptio: The Resources, Diffusion and Function of a Sixteenth‐Century Antiquarian Map of Greece

Abstract

Nikolaos Sophianos's Totius Graeciae Descriptio, an early regional map of Greece, was a cartographical bestseller of the late sixteenth century. The first editions of the map (1540, 1544, 1545) were hitherto believed to be lost, and contemporary references are few. Such references as could be found were collected and published by Émile Legrand in 1885, and his data, enhanced by information derived from later reissues of the map (1552 and 1601), provided the foundation for recent bibliographical entries. This material has now been supplemented by recently rediscovered examples of the 1545 edition of Sophianos's map. By combining the new evidence with the material accompanying the various editions of the map (geographical introductions, indexes and gazetteers), it has proved possible to reconstruct the map's publishing history, to analyse its content and to investigate certain issues related to the methodology, uses and functions of early modern antiquarian cartography of Greece. Dr George Tolias is Research Director, Institute for Neohellenic Research, The National Hellenic Research Foundation.