The Sunderland Collection

The London bookseller Moses Pitt attempted publication of the ‘

 Major’ in English but ran out of resources after the fourth volume in 1683.

The Holy Land receives a good deal of attention in the Biblical portion of the historical atlas and is depicted from the southern tip of the Dead Sea to the Lebanon Mountains on a remarkable six-sheet map. The geography of Palestine and the location of important scriptural events is based on Christian van Adrichom's highly influential map of 1584, with a wealth of detail added by Janssonius in the form of vignettes, illustrations, and written information. Each one of the six sheets has its own title, based on which of the Twelve Tribes of Israel’s territories are shown, and together they form one of the most detailed depictions of the Holy Land to date.

Across the Biblical maps, important religious sites and cities are identified, from Elijah flying his chariot of fire (II Kings 2:11) to the battle between David and Goliath in the Valley of Elah, which is labelled 'Vallis Terebinthi' because of the trees that grew there (I Samuel 17). One of the most prominent themes of Biblical maps is the great wandering of the Israelites through the wilderness after their escape from Egypt - to which Janssonius pays special attention. Their passage through the deserts is marked out encampment by encampment, with small vignettes of the events that occurred during the forty years following the Exodus from Egypt.

The forty-eight maps of secular history that follow the twelve Biblical maps largely cover regions in North Africa, the Mediterranean, and Europe. The Mediterranean Basin in particular was the stage for some of the most well-recorded scenes from ancient history, often blurring the lines between legend and fact.

The historical atlas finishes with a reproduction of the 

 on four sheets - the earliest surviving copy of which is dated c.1200. As one of the most engaging pieces of ancient cartography, this schematic map-table is a suitable finale to Janssonius collection of historical maps.

This celebrated historical atlas was created by Johannes Janssonius as part of his multi-volume ‘Atlas Maior’ (1660), and was also sold separately. It contains forty-eight exquisitely engraved and remarkably detailed maps of secular history and twelve Biblical maps. The atlas finishes with a reproduction of the Peutinger Table map on four sheet. This seventeenth century facsimile was created from a lost, ancient Roman map from the late empire, the ‘Tabula Peutingeriana’ is the earliest example of a road map.

This copy of the historical atlas was produced by Janssonius himself. It contains luxurious contemporary hand-colour and is heightened with gold and silver by master colourist Frans Koerten, possibly with the assistance of Dirk Jansz van Santen, who worked for only the most discerning collectors.

Jassonius's historical atlas contains sixty total maps, issued separately as well as part of his impressive multi-volume endeavour, the 'Atlas Maior' (1660). Janssonius's maps are similar to those produced by Willem Janszoon Blaeu and he is often accused of copying from his rival, but many of his maps predate those of Blaeu and cover different geographical regions.

The tribes of Ephraim, Benjamin and Dimidia

Frontispiece

World map of the ancient known world, oval projection 

Map of the ancient world 

Map of the Middle East

Map of Judea

Map of the Holy Land 

Region of the Tribe of Reuben, Israel 

The tribe of Asher, and the western parts of Zebulun and Issachar tribes

Tribes around the river Jordan, the tribes of Mephthalim and the eastern parts of the tribes of Zabuion and Issachar

Map of the Arabian desert

Tribe of Simeon, South part of tribe of Dan and Eastern Tribe of Judah 

Map of the Mediterranean sea

Map of Africa

Map of Egypt 

Map of Libya

Map of Cyprus

Map of Crete

Map of Greece

Map of Macedonia 

Map of Albania 

Map of Thessaly

Map of Achaia 

Municipality of Attica, Greece

Archipelago islands

Southern Archipelago

Map of the Mediterranean pt 1

Map of the Mediterranean showing the theatre of war for the Trojans, including a passage from Virgil's epic 'The Aeneid'

Map of the march of the Greeks against the Persians

Map of Alexander the Great's Travels in Macedonia

Map of Spain

Map of Gaul

Map of France

Map of Belgium

Map of Gaul and Germany

Map of the British Isles 

Map of Italy 

Map of Switzerland

Map of Tuscany 

Map of Latium, Italy 

Map of South Italy 

Map of Sardinia 

Map of Sicily 

Map of Pannonia (West Hungary)

Map of the region of Dacia 

Map of the Black Sea

Region of the Thracians, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey

Map of Germany 

Map of Europe

Map of Great Britain

Map of Wales

Map of the Roman Empire

Map of Syria and Babylonia

Map of the Roman Empire under Charlemagne 

Map of the Carolingian Empire (800–887)

Peutinger Table segments I and II

Peutinger Table segments III and IV

Peutinger Table segments V and VI

Peutinger Table segments VII and VIII

Johannes Janssonius's historical atlas includes sixty exceptionally hand-coloured maps, lavishly heightened with gold and silver, by master colourist Frans Koerten, possibly with assistance of Dirk Jansz. van Santen.

Atlas of the Old and New World

Atlas ofte Oude Geestelycke ende Aertse Werelt 

Janssonius's Historical Atlas 