Ancient Sicily with Malta and the Carthage Coast, d'Anville, 1818

An original copper engraved map, uncolored, of ancient Sicily, with the toe of Italy at upper right, the African coast around Carthage at lower left and the Maltese islands at the foot. Syracusa with Ortygia, Agrigentum, Lilybaeum, Selinus, Segesta, Himera, Tyndaris, Messana prius Zancle, Tauromenium, Catana and Helorum ring the island, with Ætna M. inland and Pachynum Pr. at the southeast point. The Fretum Siculum separates Sicily from Rhegium, and the islands to the north are lettered Æoliæ vel Vulcaniæ Insulæ, with Lipara and Strongyle. In Africa Carthago with Byrsa, Utica, Neapolis and Hadrumetum are placed; Malta is lettered Melita, with Gaulos, Fanum Junonis and Fanum Herculis.

The cartouche at upper left reads La Sicile / pour l'Histoire Romaine / de Rollin / par d'Anville / Géographe du Roi. The plate number Pl. 20 is engraved above the upper right corner of the neatline. Two lines across the top explain the longitude: Longitude vraie et conclue des Observations Astronomiques and Longitude selon la valeur des Degrés dans l'Hypothèse de la Terre Sphérique; la Longitude est ici comptée du Méridien de Paris. Four scale bars sit in the sea south of the island: Milles Romains, évalués 755 Toises et demie, Stades Grecs ordinaires, composés sur le Pied d'Hercule, Stades composés sur la mesure du Pied naturel and Lieues Françaises, de 3000 Pas Géometr. ou 2500 Toises.

The plate belongs to the Atlas de Géographie Ancienne, published in Paris in 1818 by Ledoux et Tenré and printed by Didot le jeune to accompany the works of Charles Rollin (1661 to 1741), author of the Histoire ancienne and the Histoire romaine. Its maps were engraved after the originals of Jean-Baptiste Bourguignon d'Anville (1697 to 1782). In the signed foreword Ambroise Tardieu, géographe-graveur, states that the maps were copied with religious fidelity and that, charged with revising the proofs, he had only to correct negligences and faults of execution.

This is an original antique map, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.