Egypt

Fabulously detailed map of Egypt focusing almost entirely on the course of the Nile.

This fascinating copperplate engraved map of Egypt is a tremendous visual reminder of the close geopolitical relationship between the nation and the Nile River. Place names are confined almost entirely to either bank of the vitally important river, whose annual flooding had historically allowed Egypt to operate as the breadbasket for the ancient world.

Topography is depicted in hachure, and the map includes a handful of scattered oases in the desert. Other locations of interest include the pyramids of Geeza, Mt. Sinai, and Aboukir Bay, where Nelson destroyed Napoleon’s fleet two decades prior to publication.

The map was originally designed by Scottish cartographer John Pinkerton. As part of the Edinburgh School of Cartography (which included the likes of John Cary and John Thomson), Pinkerton was responsible for creating some of the most highly detailed and precise atlas maps of the early 19th century. Today, his maps are prized for their size, color, and wealth of information.

This particular example was included in the American edition of Pinkerton’s Modern Atlas, published in Philadelphia by Thomas Dobson in 1818.