Tabula Asiae IX

Munster’s regional map of central Asia in antiquity.

This map is based upon the works of the Greek scholar Claudius Ptolemy, and shows a large region in central Asia comprising parts of modern day Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Iran. The place names and regional distinctions reflect Ptolemy’s original works from the 2nd century, which were widely reproduced by European cartographers throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. An index in the lower right identifies major cities by region.

Though it’s not known if Ptolemy produced maps himself (only books of geographic coordinates and mapmaking instructions credit to him have been found), it’s fascinating to consider that a map looking similar to this may have been used by Alexander the Great in his conquests. Nearly 200 years after Ptolemy’s death, Alexander lost a significant portion of his army in the desert of Gedrosia, near the end of his empire’s expansive growth.

Published around 1550 by Sebastian Munster, an influential German cartographer who would be one of the first to update Ptolemy’s maps with modern place names and corrected borders.