Ptolemy's Geography: An Annotated Translation of the Theoretical Chapters

L. Lennart Berggren, Alexander Jones

204 pages, parution le 09/12/2002

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Résumé

Ptolemy's Geography is the only book on cartography to have survived from the classical period and one of the most influential scientific works of all time. Written in the second century AD, for more than fifteen centuries it was the most detailed topography of Europe and Asia available and the best reference on how to gather data and draw maps. Ptolemy championed the use of astronomical observation and applied mathematics in determining geographical locations. But more importantly, he introduced the practice of writing down coordinates of latitude and longitude for every feature drawn on a world map, so that someone else possessing only the text of the Geography could reproduce Ptolemy's map at any time, in whole or in part, at any scale.

Here Berggren and Jones render an exemplary translation of the Geography and provide a thorough introduction, which treats the historical and technical background of Ptolemy's work, the contents of the Geography, and the later history of the work. Also included here are unique color reproductions of maps from manuscripts and early printed editions of the text, representative of the beautiful and practical cartographic artistry that flowed from Ptolemy's work. Historians of science, classicists, and anyone who enjoys beautiful maps or map making will find this work an indispensable addition to their library.

Contents

Introduction

What Ptolemy Expected His Reader to Know
The Place of the Geography in Ptolemy's Work
Ptolemy's Evolving Conception of the World
Marinos and Other Sources
Ptolemy's Map Projections and Coordinate Lists
The Manuscripts of the Geography
The Maps in the Manuscripts
Early Readers and Translators
Modern Editions and Translations of the Geography
Our Translation

Ptolemy, Guide to Drawing a Map of the World

Book 1
Book 2
Book 7
Book 8

Plates and Maps

Notes on the Plates and Maps
Plates 1-7 following p.
Maps 1-8 1

Appendices

Appendix A: The Journeys of Flaccus and Maternus to the Aithiopians
Appendix B: Marinos' Calculation of the Latitude of Cape Prason
Appendix C: The Trade Route across Central Asia
Appendix D: The Breadth of the Mediterranean According to Marinos and Ptolemy
Appendix E: The Sail to Kattigara
Appendix F: The Miscellaneous Criticisms of Marinos' Data
Appendix G: Textual Notes
Appendix H: Geographical Index

L'auteur - L. Lennart Berggren

J. Lennart Berggren is Professor of Mathematics at Simon Fraser University and twice president of the Canadian Society for the History and Philosophy of Mathematics. His previous books include Episodes in the Mathematics of Medieval Islam, and Pi: A Source Book.

L'auteur - Alexander Jones

Alexander Jones is Professor of Classics and of the History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Toronto. He studies the history of the exact sciences in antiquity. He is the author of Pappus of Alexandria: Book 7 of the Collection and Astronomical Papyri from Oxyrhynchus.

Caractéristiques techniques

	PAPIER
Éditeur(s)	Princeton University Press
Auteur(s)	L. Lennart Berggren, Alexander Jones
Parution	09/12/2002
Nb. de pages	204
Format	17,4 x 25,3
Couverture	Broché
Poids	429g
Intérieur	Noir et Blanc
EAN13	9780691092591
ISBN13	978-0-691-09259-1