Presbiteri Ioannis, Sive, Abissinorum Imperii Descriptio
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One of the most enduring legends of the Age of Discovery concerned the existence somewhere in Africa of a Christian kingdom under the rule of Prester John. Abraham Ortelius' map depicts this kingdom and extends from the Mediterranean to the "Mountains of the Moon", south of the equator, and shows a large Lake Zaire as one of the sources of the Nile. There is a large title cartouche and a similar text panel surmounted by the arms of Prester John. Various land and sea creatures are illustrated on this map which is one of the very few early maps to focus on East Africa.
region: East Africa / Ethiopia / Abyssinia |
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