Posted on 11/26/2007 6:58:07 PM PST by BGHater
The Tabula Peutingeriana is one of the Austrian National Library's greatest treasures.
The landmass and the seas have been stretched and flattened
The parchment scroll, made in the Middle Ages, is the only surviving copy of a road map from the late Roman Empire.
The document, which is almost seven metres long, shows the network of main Roman roads from Spain to India.
It is normally never shown to the public. The parchment is extremely fragile, and reacts badly to daylight.
But it has been on display for one day to celebrate its inclusion in Unesco's Memory of the World Register.
Practical guide
At first sight, it looks very unlike a modern map.
Every so often there is a pictogram of a building to show you that there was a hotel or a spa where you could stay 
Andreas Fingernagel
Austrian National Library
Both the landmass and the seas have been stretched and flattened. The Mediterranean has been reduced to a thin strip of water, more like a river than a sea.
Instead of being oriented from north to south, the map, which is only 34 centimetres wide, works from west to east.
But despite its unfamiliar appearance, the director of the Department of Manuscripts, Autographs and Closed Collections at the Austrian National Library, Andreas Fingernagel, says it is an intensely practical document, more like a plan of the London Underground than a map.
"The red lines are the main roads. Every so often there is a little hook along the red lines which represents a rest stop - and the distance between hooks was one day's travel."
"Every so often there is a pictogram of a building to show you that there was a hotel or a spa where you could stay," he said.
"It was meant for the civil servants of the late Roman Empire, for couriers and travellers," he added.
Some of the buildings have large courtyards - a sign of more luxurious accommodation.
Clue to ancient world
At the centre of the Tabula Peutingeriana is Rome. The city, represented by a crowned figure on a throne, has numerous roads leading to and from the metropolis. Some, such as the Via Appia and the Via Aurelia, still exist today.
The Tabula Peutingeriana scroll dates from the late 12th or the early 13th century and was made in Southern Germany or Austria.
But Mr Fingernagel says it is very different from other medieval maps and is clearly a copy of a much earlier document, dating back to the 5th century.
"In maps from the 12th or 13th century, Jerusalem, not Rome, was in the centre," he said.
"The interests of map makers in the Middle Ages were quite different. They don't show roads or rest stations, instead they show the holy places of Christianity."
And the map contains other details which indicate the original probably dates back to the 5th century, including the city of Aquileia, which was destroyed in 452 by the Huns.
The scroll was named after one of its earlier owners, the Renaissance German humanist Konrad Peutinger.
Later it was obtained by the Imperial Library in Vienna - now the Austrian National Library.
"It's unique," said Mr Fingernagel. "It's the only map of the ancient world - although it's a copy - that gives us an impression of how things used to be."
The Tabula Peutingeriana was included in the Unesco Memory of the World Register this year, and was on limited view in Vienna on 26 November 2007.
Actual image of satellite used to create the map
And, most importantly .....
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Thanks BGHater. Over the past week (I was on vacation of sorts) I read the name of a Roman colony town in India, obviously a commercial enterprise. I'm intrigued about a Roman road in India being shown on this map. |
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Sure, we’ve all heard of carpe diem.
The Romans in Ireland
Archaeology Today | 2000? | L.A. Curchin
Posted on 07/18/2004 11:54:58 PM EDT by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1173950/posts
Report: Ancient Roman graveyard found in suburban Copenhagen
IHT | October 10, 2007 | Associated Press / Roskilde Dagblad
Posted on 10/11/2007 2:55:59 PM EDT by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1909864/posts
Tamil Trade
INTAMM | 1997 | Xavier S. Thani Nayagam
Posted on 09/11/2004 8:07:01 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1213591/posts
Ancient Sea Link Discovered By ASI (India)
The Statesman | 2-12-2006
Posted on 02/12/2006 6:22:25 PM EST by blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1577245/posts
whoops, forgot this one:
Roman-Style Column Bolsters Han Dynasty Tomb
Peoples Daily | 4-9-2007
Posted on 04/08/2007 9:41:47 PM EDT by blam
Rhttp://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1814182/posts
A lot of these lumps come from metal detector operators in eastern Europe, and most of the coins (if they can be cleaned enough to look ‘em over) tend to be nearly illegible. These are generally late empire bronzes, not a very good bronze to start with, and having been buried (possibly as those who buried them had to flee the Huns or whatnot) for seventeen centuries hasn’t done them any good. Still, I’ve been tempted to try one. I have read that fakery, even with these low-value ancient coins, has become common because it’s unusual to find hoards of ancient coins just setting around in a field somewhere. (’:
http://www.catbikes.ch/coinstuff/coins-fakes.htm
“Below are some pictures of fake Bulgarian “uncleaned Roman” coins which were found end of 2003, early 2004 in batches of uncleaned coins sold by dealers all over the world. Note that these are only a few samples. Just about every type of common-ish bronze coin is now in circulation as a fake. Most fakes are those of Constantine I and II, Licinius I and II, Constans, Constantius I and II, Valens, Jovian, Septimius Severus.”
Thanks for the reply - It will be interesting to see what types of name my son and his classmates (7th grade) find! And I’m not going to tell him they might be fake either - they are trying to make this history stuff (and learning Latin!) fun - and I’m not about to ruin it.
I did come across a program that sells these coins along with study CD’s, etc. - so I’m thinking that the teacher’s story of “she knows an archaologist...” is a bit of a story as well.
sounds great!
LATIN 1: THE EASY WAY
Cherryh website | 1999 | C.J. Cherryh
Posted on 09/25/2004 3:02:15 AM EDT by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1226657/posts
Latin Course Stage 6 (Pompeii Slave Girl)
Cambridge | 2004 | University of Cambridge
Posted on 07/18/2004 10:24:53 PM EDT by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1173918/posts
(Vanity) Sunday Morning Chuckles: Latin Phrases for the Here-and-Now
Sunday May 23,’04 | submitted by Yankeedame
Posted on 05/23/2004 9:59:08 AM EDT by yankeedame
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1140734/posts
Vanilla Ice: “Ice Ice Baby” translated into Latin
Livejournal.com | 01/17/2005 | cataptromancer (Livejournal)
Posted on 07/01/2005 9:54:33 AM EDT by Constitution Day
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1434606/posts
Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Baby Got Back” translated into Latin
Livejournal.com | 10/08/2003 | Quislibet [Livejournal]
Posted on 10/15/2003 2:54:03 PM EDT by Constitution Day
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1001719/posts
I glanced at the first link - thanks, looks interesting and will share it with my son. He’ll ask me a Latin question and I just stare at him with a glazed look in my eye - its all “Greek” to me!
Excellent site is an understatement. Thanks for posting the link.
| My Library! I used to live in Canberra. I practically lived at the National Library. Their Map Reading Rooms and Rare Book Rooms are unbelievable. Magnificent place. |  |
Andreas Fingernail? What a strange name.
It’s the Austrian National Library, mentioned here, not the Australian one!
Don’t forget the sewers, Reg.
Really, really neato Map of the ancient world as known to the Romans. I’ll be bookmarking this, and studying it. Roads were so very important to getting this ol’ world on track!
Ah ha!
We're lost, dear. Let's ask directions at the next taverna.
No need, honey, check out this nifty map!
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