Aegyptus Hodierna

Intricate, if stylized, map of Ottoman Egypt from a prominent German engraver.

This elaborate copperplate engraving focuses on the course of the Nile River from the mouth on the Mediterranean to the first set of large cataphracts at the confluence of the Blue and White branches. This size of the river is greatly exaggerated to accentuate details on either bank; including fortifications, towns, and numerous sites featuring pyramids. Topography is shown in hachure, highlighting the steep valley through which the river flows.

Adjacent to the map are several large illustrations showing prominent features closely associated with the identity of Egypt and the Nile. Pyramids (with figures shown climbing up the side and standing on the top), obelisks, the Sphinx, and tombs of pharaohs are all depicted with an accompanying index and explanatory annotations.

Published in Nuremberg in 1720 by Johann Baptist Homann.