The Peutinger-map
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| In 1508 a map of the Roman empire came in the way of Konrad Peutinger from Augsburg. Later this map was called after him: Tabula Peutingeriana, Peutinger-map. A few centuries before Peutinger got the map he was copied from an old Roman world-map, from the 4th century A.D, and was copied from the world-map of Agrippina, end 1st century B.C. |
| The Peutinger-map (see illustration) was drawed on a narrow book-roll with a length of 7 metres. He shows the whole Roman empire, from todays Great-Brittain till the Indus. The drawer was er vanuit gegaan that Rome was the central point, so he had drawn Rome in the centre. 12 ways leaved Rome. The map wasn't meaned as an accurate and faithfully map like we find in todays atlasses, but an outline map for people who were traveling. The drawer only reasoned left - right, but that was enough for a traveller. He also mentioned the distance next to the roads, because the length of the lines on the map had no meaning. |
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