![]() The first edition contained seventy maps on fifty-three sheets, all engraved by the enormously talented Franz Hogenberg. By 1569 the atlas was ready for publication, and by May of 1570 the Theatrum, one of the most expensive books published to that date, was already for sale. By 1568 production of maps for Theatrum Orbis Terrarum was under way. His acumen resulted in his obtaining Royal Privilege for an extended period of time for publishing his works, which seriously impacted the ability of his contemporaries to publish their own works. In addition to his intellectual prowess and his remarkable connections with royal houses and the entirety of European literati, Ortelius was a shrewd businessman. ![]() A number of maps in the atlas, including Typus Orbis Terrarum, underline the geometrical similarity between the coasts of America alongside the coasts of Europe and Africa, and other continents as well, and he proposed continental drift as an explanation, the idea which as noted earlier, would later influence the theory of plate tectonics. Ortelius’ Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, the world’s first atlas - with notes which reflect his compendium of data, names of scientists, theories, and even sea monsters - provides a close look at his original maps, which reveal his important theory. Despite Bacon’s theorizing, few if any of his contemporaries were convinced, and Ortelius must be credited with having actually mapped out the idea some three centuries before science and academia took the idea seriously. The next serious proponent/defender of the idea was English philosopher and mathematician Sir Francis Bacon, who in 1620 postulated that the fit between the Americas and Europe and Africa was too close to have occurred by accident. The hypothesis that the continents might have 'drifted' apart was first put forward by him in 1596 as he observed that if moved toward one another, they seemed to fit quite well, making him one of the earliest known proponents of the idea which only truly came of age in the early 20 th century. Interestingly, Ortelius was an early advocate of the theory of continental drift, openly writing and speaking of it, yet he is given little credit for it. Both men made significant contributions not only to cartography, but also to science and the ever-increasing store of knowledge which marked the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery, but both are most widely known for their contributions in the field of mapmaking. Indeed, he and Gerard Mercator are perhaps the most renowned of their era. Abraham Ortelius is among the best known European cartographers of the 16 th century.
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