“A map of the world that does not include Utopia is not worth even glancing at”, said Oscar Wilde (in his 1891 essay ‘The Soul of Man Under Socialism’), so I suppose this blog can’t do without one either.
‘Utopia’ is a Greek neologism invented by the author of the eponymous satire, Thomas More, and can be translated as ‘Nowhere’. Its perfect (but fictitious) society was meant to contrast with, and consequently be a criticism of, contemporary society in early 16th century Europe.
This picture was taken from one of the first editions of the book, which is published online at the Bibliotheca Augustana, an interesting repository of Latin texts, stretching from well before Christ to the 20th century. Unfortunately, despite the lovely colours, the gothic lettering makes the text labels in this map unreadable…
The city in the middle is the city (civitas) of Amaurotum, and on the left are the springs of the River Anydrus (”fons Anydri”). On the right, there is the mouth of that river (”ostium Anydri”).
Beyond depicting a “no-country” (Utopia) with a waterless (anydrus) river, this he map is even “stranger” than one would think.
Can anyone see the skull apparently hidden in the picture?
See
http://www.nature.com/bdj/journal/v199/n2/abs/4812526a.html
(full text requires free registration)
Comment by Andreas Praefcke — December 12, 2006 @
I just read the article I mentioned before a bit closer, and apparently that first edition of the map does not show the skull clearly. It’s the third edition that does. Anyway, a truly strange map.
Comment by Andreas Praefcke — December 12, 2006 @
Utopia: possibly the only place the United States has never bombed.
Comment by Andy — December 12, 2006 @
[...] ENUGMIS 122: UTOPIA, UN MONDE IMAGINAIRE? Observons cet article! [...]
Pingback by ENUGMIS 122: UTOPIA, UN MONDE IMAGINAIRE? « Grandes et petites affaires, sérieuses ou mystérieuses de l’histoire. — June 17, 2007 @
[...] Vínculos: Sobre la vida de Tomás Moro (ver aquí) Introducción de Utopía (ver aquí) Texto completo original, biblioteca Augustana (ver aquí) Artículo en Strange Map (ver aquí) [...]
Pingback by Descripción de la isla Utopía, de Tomás Moro « Blog de trabajo Instituto Linares — September 29, 2007 @
For a good view at the hidden skull see http://www.nature.com/bdj/journal/v199/n2/fig_tab/4812526f5.html
Comment by Peter van der Gulden — December 2, 2007 @
It would seem it’s only the later Holbien lithograph which contains the scull, which would be a comment on the vanity of the story perhaps? Either Holbein had never read Utopia, or he couldn’t read the Latin, but Holbien’s images lack the lagoon in Martini’s accurate image. (Holbien clearly wasn’t paying attention to the text which includes an extensive description of the topography of Utopia.)
Comment by R. Young — January 20, 2008 @