1552 Munster Leaf: Asia Minor Amazons Military Elephant

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1552 Description of Asia Minor from "Cosmographia" by Sebastian Münster
Amazons, Galatia, Rhodes
One Splendid Woodcut Picture: Military Elephant

Single authentic woodcut leaf from "Cosmographia" by Sebastian Münster. French edition; Basel printing house of Sebastian Heinrich-Petri 1552. Book IV (V), pages 1223-1224. Corresponding pages in the 1550 German edition (Basel, Petri): MXCII-MXCIII

Sebastian Münster (1488-1552) was a German cartographer, cosmographer, and Hebrew scholar whose Cosmographia (1544; "Cosmography") was the earliest German description of the world and a major work - after the Nuremberg Chronicle of 1493 - in the revival of geographic thought in 16th-century Europe. Altogether, about 40 editions of the Cosmographia appeared during 1544-1628. Although other cosmographies predate Münster's, he is given first place in historical discussions of this sort of publication, and was a major influence on his subject for over 200 years.

In nearly all works about Münster, his Cosmographia is given pride of place. Despite this, we still lack a detailed survey of its contents from edition to edition, during the years 1544 to 1628, and an account of its influence on a wide range of scientific disciplines. Münster obtained the material for his book in three ways. He used all available literary sources. He tried to obtain original manuscript material for description of the countryside and of villages and towns. Finally, he obtained further material on his travels (primarily in south-west Germany, Switzerland, and Alsace). Cosmographia contained not only the latest maps and views of many well-known cities, but included an encyclopaedic amount of detail about the known - and unknown - world and undoubtedly must have been one of the most widely read books of its time. Aside from the well-known maps and views present in the Cosmographia (including the first separate printed map of the Western Hemisphere), the text is thickly sprinkled with vigorous woodcuts: portraits of kings and princes, costumes and occupations, habits and customs, flora and fauna, monsters and horrors. Münster divided his material into six books. Book I is a useful summary of astronomical-mathematical and physical geography. Book II deals with England, Spain, France, and Italy. Book III deals with Germany and surrounding lands. Book IV embraces northern, eastern, and south-eastern Europe. Books V (Asia and America) and VI (Africa) are of modest proportions.

This authentic leaf from an early French edition of Cosmographia is devoted to to western Anatolia in Asia Minor (present day Turkey).

Most of p. 1223 deal with the Amazons - the warrior women. The Greeks, Romans and other early civilizations wrote about or depicted the Amazons in their art. The name Amazon has survived through the ages as a generic term for women warriors. Myrene, the Gorgon Amazons greatest Queen, conquered parts of Syria, Egypt, Phygia and lands in the Mediterranean including the islands of Samos, Lesbos, Pathmos and Samothrace. She founded several cities which bore her name including the ancient city of Smyrna. After years of warfare, the combined armies of the Thracian and Scythian empires retook part of Myrene's colonial conquest. When she died the Gorgon Amazons abandoned their remaining colonies and returned to their base in North Africa. Myrene was buried near Troy and was later named a Trojan ancestress by the Greeks. Centuries later the Thermodontine Amazons reconquered much of the same area Myrene had held. They were a matriarchal bronze age nation of allied city-states located on a plain by the River Thermodon near the Sea of Azov. The nation was founded by Lysippe (from Scythia) with Themiscyra ("Themiscyre") as it's capital. It's sphere of influence extended from Sarmatia (now the Russian steppes) throughout the Tauric Mountains. Thermodontine Amazon government was decentralized with numerous Queens serving as tribal leaders, but by law throughout the empire only women could govern, or engage in warfare and agriculture. After Lysippe's death her daughter ruled the Amazons. Other notable Queens included Lampedo and Marpesia ("Marthesia"), who was one of the greatest of the Amazon empire builders.

Page 1223 (bottom) an 1224 describe Galatia, ancient district in central Anatolia that was occupied early in the 3rd century BC by Celtic tribes, whose bands of marauders created havoc among neighbouring Hellenistic states. Invited from Europe to participate in a Bithynian civil war (278 BC), the Gallic horde plagued western Anatolia until checked by the Seleucid king Antiochus I at the so-called Elephant Battle (275 BC). At that point the Celts, called Galatae (Galatians) by 3rd-century writers, settled in the territory to which they gave their name. The Galatians, having joined the Seleucids against Rome (winter 190-189 BC), brought upon themselves a Roman punitive expedition (189 BC) from which they never recovered. Passing successively under the rule of Pergamum and Pontus, Galatia became a Roman protectorate (85 BC) ruled by puppet kings. Though originally possessing a strong cultural identity, the Galatians by the 2nd century AD had become absorbed into the Hellenistic civilization of Anatolia. Thereafter follows the beginning of the section on the Dodecanese (Rhodes, ...)

Page 1223 contains one nice woodcut picture (2.5 x 4 inches) showing a military squad made of an elephant carrying a group of soldiers. See pictures for more details; click image to view larger version.

The leaf measures 7.25 x 10.9 inches. Printed on laid paper. The page is in good condition. Imperfections: margins were slightly cropped; one brown spot. This is a rare and exceptionally interesting historical document which will look great with a mat and frame.

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