The allure of ancient maps lies in their ability to transport us to a time when geographical knowledge was still unfolding, and the world was perceived through a blend of scientific observation and mythical beliefs. Maps of Africa from the 17th century offer a particularly intriguing glimpse into this era, revealing not only the continent's evolving shape but also the cultural and political influences that shaped its representation.
Early printed editions of Ptolemy would increasingly include tabula nova, or new maps, which supplemented Ptolemy’s ideas with more modern observations. The first modern map of the entire African continent was in Sebastian Munster’s edition of the Geographia published in 1540.Abraham Ortelius’ map of the African continent, based on an earlier map by Giacomo Gastaldi, was the most widely-distributed map of the sixteenth century and it affected maps of the continent well into the seventeenth century.
Let's delve into the details of some notable maps from this period:
Key Cartographers and Their Contributions
Abraham Ortelius
Abraham Ortelius’ map of the African continent, based on an earlier map by Giacomo Gastaldi, was the most widely-distributed map of the sixteenth century and it affected maps of the continent well into the seventeenth century. His map, "Africae tabula nova," first published in 1570, became the standard representation of Africa for the last quarter of the 16th century.
From the 1603 Latin edition of Theatrum Orbis Terrarum by Abraham Ortelius comes a beautiful hand-colored map of the African continent. The fifth state of the copperplate still has the date 1570 present. The map shows the Kingdom of the mystical Prester John in central Africa. It is decorated with two cartouches, four elephants, sea monsters, and a sailing ship.
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Ortelius lived and died in Antwerp, where he had a bookselling business. He traveled to many of the great book fairs, established contacts with literati in many countries, collected maps, and became an authority on historical cartography. In 1570, he published the Theatrum, an atlas of fifty-three maps, the first collection of uniform-sized maps depicting all the countries of the known world-the first real atlas.
Here, Africa assumes a more recognizable shape, with a more pointed southern cape. Ortelius uses the Ptolemaic sources of the Nile, two large lakes, but places them farther south. The Niger now empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The “Zanzibar” coastland is featured on the west side, as it is called (Ortelius notes) by Persian and Arab authors, but the island of Zanzibar is correctly placed off the east coast. Madagascar appears, as do the place-names of numerous towns along the coasts and in the interior, although large empty spaces begin to dominate there.
No animal or plant life is indicated, but the oceans contain swordfish and a whale. Three ships in the lower right are caught in the smoke of battle. Beautifully designed and engraved, the map represents a high mark of 16th-century mapmaking.
Africae tabula nova by Abraham Ortelius
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Willem Janszoon Blaeu
Willem Janszoon Blaeu, a prominent figure in Dutch cartography, created detailed and decorative maps of Africa. Blaeu added many place names from the Portuguese discoveries and those of the Dutch as they came to dominate the East Indies trade.
Blaeu used his favored status as hydrographer to the Dutch East India Company and his central location in Amsterdam to access the latest published and manuscript sources, for example a drawing of the Gold Coast from Luis Teixeira that had been taken to Amsterdam via Cornelis Claesz.
In the Medieval period, Africa formed one part of a tripartite worldview that combined the oikumene, or known world, of the Greeks with a Christian worldview. This understanding of the continents began to change rapidly in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries as the Portuguese explored farther south along the western African coast. Finally, in 1498, Vasco da Gama rounded the Cape of Good Hope and arrived in India. The opening of the trade routes rewrote the existing world maps.
One of the most decorative and popular of all early maps of Africa, from the “golden age” of Dutch mapmaking, is "Africae nova descriptio." First issued in 1630, the map was reprinted many times between 1631 and 1667, appearing in Latin, French, German, Dutch, and Spanish editions of Blaeu’s atlases.
In the format called carte à figures, this appealing map contains oval views of, presumably, the major cities and trading ports of Africa at the time: Tangier and Ceuta (Morocco), Tunis (Tunisia), Alexandria and Cairo (Egypt), Mozambique (seaport of Mozambique), Elmina (Ghana, site of the largest and most spectacular castle in Africa built by the Portuguese), and Grand Canary (Canary Islands) Side panels depict costumed natives from areas visited along the coasts.
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The interior is decorated with exotic animals (lions, elephants, ostriches), which were (and still are) a major source of fascination for the public. The Nile (today’s White Nile) is shown flowing from the Ptolemaic lakes of Zaire and Zaflan. Flying fish and strange sea creatures cavort in the oceans, and the sailing ships all bear Dutch flags.
Africae nova descriptio by Willem Janszoon Blaeu
Jodocus Hondius
Jodocus Hondius created his second map of Africa, first published in the Mercator-Hondius Atlas of 1606. The geographical information is based on the Mercator map.
Nova Africae Tabula Auctore Jodoco Hondio
Geographical and Mythical Elements
These maps often included both accurate geographical features and mythical elements, reflecting the limited knowledge of the continent's interior. Europeans had been interested in the source of the Nile since ancient times.
Ptolemy, in his second century Geographia, postulates that the source lies near the Mountains of the Moon, where water flows into two large lakes at the same latitude. This theory came from Diogenes, who supposedly saw the mountains ca. 110 CE. Sixteenth-century mapmakers, including Waldseemuller, chose to follow the Ptolemaic model.
Gastaldi, most likely thanks to sources he read via Ramusio, chose to abandon the Mountains of the Moon entirely. Instead, he drew a massive central lake from which flows the Nile, Zaire (Congo), Cuama (Zambezi), and Spirito Sancto (Limpopo) Rivers. To the east is another, smaller lake at roughly the same latitude, which also feeds part of the Nile.
Ortelius also included a large central lake, called Cafates. He rejected the name of Zaire-Zembere used by Gastaldi. To the east and just slightly north is another, smaller lake. Rivers from the north of both lakes wend northward and join to form the Nile. The Zaire (Congo) flows from the northeast of Lake Cafates, while the Zuama (Zambezi) exits at the south of the lake.
Blaeu has adopted Gastaldi’s names for the two lakes, Zaire-Zembre and Zaflan. Together, northern streams from each river form the Nile as it flows north.
The myth of Prester John was popular in Europe from 12th to 17th centuries. Shows the Kingdom of the mystical Prester John in central Africa.
Artistic and Decorative Features
Many maps from this period are adorned with decorative elements, reflecting the artistic sensibilities of the time. In the format called carte à figures, this appealing map contains oval views of, presumably, the major cities and trading ports of Africa at the time.
Along both sides of the map are a series of drawings showing the local dress of cultures from across the continent. From top left, they show Moroccans, Senegalese, traders in Guinea, Congolese, Egyptians, Ethiopians, Mozambicans, the King of Madagascar, and those of the Cape of Good Hope. They reflect the diversity of African cultures as filtered through European eyes.
At sea, the waters are filled with flocks of birds, ships in full sail, and spouting sea monsters. A richly decorated compass rose sits on the equator. The cartouche is tucked into the Arabian Peninsula. It is topped with a lion and surrounded by garlands of greenery.
Decorative elements on ancient maps
Evolution of Cartographic Knowledge
The maps of Africa from the 17th century represent a significant step in the evolution of cartographic knowledge. Blaeu added many place names from the Portuguese discoveries and those of the Dutch as they came to dominate the East Indies trade.
These maps, while not always accurate by modern standards, provide valuable insights into the geographical understanding and cultural perceptions of Africa during this transformative period.
Examples of Ancient Maps of Africa (1598-1660)
The following table lists examples of ancient maps of Africa between 1598 and 1660, showcasing the cartographers, publication years, and notable features:
| Cartographer | Title | Year | Notable Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abraham Ortelius | Africae Tabula Nova | 1598 | Colored map of the African continent |
| Matthias Quad | Abyssinorum sive Magni Regis Davidis | 1600 | Decorative colored map of central Africa with Prester John |
| Abraham Ortelius | Africae Tabula Nova | 1603 | Hand-colored map, date 1570 present |
| Abraham Ortelius | Presbiteri Iohannis, sive, Abissinorum Imperii Descriptio | 1603 | Kingdom of Prester John, sea monsters, elephants |
| Jodocus Hondius | Nova Africae Tabula Auctore Jodoco Hondio | 1606 | Based on Mercator map |
| Abraham Goos | Africae descriptio | circa 1630 | Small scale colored map |
| Jodocus Hondius | Africae nova tabula | circa 1633 | Various animals, sea monsters, and fishes |
| Daniel Meissner | Quiloa in Africa | 1638 | View of Quiloa in Tanzania |
| Gerard Mercator | Abissinorum sive Pretiosi Ioannis Imperiu | 1638 | Kingdom of Prester John in central Africa |
| Giovanni Botero | Africa | circa 1640 | Rare copper engraved map |
| Willem Janszoon Blaeu | Fezzae et Marocchi regna Africae celeberrima | circa 1640 | Map of Morocco based on Ortelius map of 1570 |
| Willem Janszoon Blaeu | Nova Totius Terrarum Orbis Geographica ac Hydrographica Tabula auct: Guiljelmo Blaeuw | circa 1640 | World and continent maps with decorative borders |
| Willem Janszoon Blaeu | Guinea | 1642 | Sea chart of West Africa with Gulf of Guinea |
| Willem Janszoon Blaeu | Aethiopia Inferior, vel Exterior | 1644 | Map of South Africa with tribal warriors and animals |
| Matthäus Merian | Algier | 1646 | View of Algiers in Algeria |
| Matthäus Merian | Eroberung der Statt Loando de Sanct Paolo in Angola in Affrica Gelegen. | 1646 | Maritime engraving of the sea battle in the harbor of Luanda in Angola |
| Matthäus Merian | Abris der Vestung Tripoli in Barbarien | 1646 | Engraving of the fort of Tripoli in Libya |
| Matthäus Merian | Abbildung der Statt Gigeri in affrica, wie solche der König in Franckreich durch den Hertzogen de... | 1646 | Engraving of Jijel (Djidjelli) in North-west Algeria |
| Matthäus Merian | Tunes | 1646 | Cityview of Tunis the Capital of Tunisia in North Africa |
| Matthäus Merian | Aethiopia Inferior vel Exterior Monomotapa | circa 1650 | Map of South Africa based on the Blaeu map |
| Johannes Janssonius | Insulae de Cabo Verde Olim Hesperides sive Gorgades: Belgice De Zoute Eylanden. | 1650 | Sea chart of the Cape Verde Islands |
| Johannes Janssonius | Guinea | circa 1660 | Map of Guinea and Benin |
| Hendrick Doncker | De Cust van Barbaria, Gualata, Arguyn en Geneheo van Capo S. Vincent tot Capo Verde | circa 1660 | Sea chart of Iberian Peninsula and northwest coast of Africa |
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