1761 Map of Pomponius' Mela's Africa

This is a fine example of a scarce and unusual map of Africa, included in scholar John Reynolds' 1739 and 1761 editions of Pomponius Mela's first century geographical work, De Situ Orbis. The map was intended to aid the modern reader with ancient geography, by placing the first century Roman geographer's toponymy in the framework of a more modern delineation of the continent. In order to do so, despite presenting a recognizable 18th century outline of Africa, the mountains and rivers displayed on the map correspond more closely to the ideas of Mela than those of later cartographers. Most obvious among these traits is the lack of any river associated with the Atlantic, and the depiction of the River Nile with its headwaters in a massive lake reminiscent of the westernmost of the pair that would be associated with the later Roman geographer, Ptolemy.

An Elegant Cartouche

The map is dedicated to Philip Sydenham (1676 - 1739), the third and last Baronet of Brympton. Sydenham was a famous and keen scholar and bibliophile, and a Tory politician (famed for nothing, in that respect.) His scholarly pursuits commanded his full attention, and his estates fell into debt. Ultimately, he sold his library and appears to have led an itinerant life until his death.

Publication History and Census

This map was produced for inclusion in a 1739 London edition of Pomponius Mela's De Situ Orbis, and prepared by Eton scholar John Reynolds. The engraver is not known. A posthumous, 1761 edition was printed at Eton using the same plates without change. An example in a dealers' catalog from 2008 attributes the map to Richard Elsworth but we see no other examples corresponding to this. The separate map is not cataloged in OCLC, but the Pote/Reynolds edition of Mela is well represented in institutional collections.