Page 31 - Beholding Liberty!

From another viewpoint, Nicholas Sophianos (1500-1551), a Corfiot who had studied in Rome, de- picted Greece in 1540, on a large four-page map entitled “Totius Graeciae Descriptio”,6 which was accompanied by an explanatory study by the hellenist Nicolaus Gerbel. The “Greece of Sophianos” was very successful, with many reprints, and became established as the basic original map of the land of Greece up to the 18th century,7 especially after its publication in the “Parergon”, the historic atlas of Abraham Ortelius, in 1579.8 Sophianos launched himself into the antiquity project, endeavoring to establish the Greekness of the broader southern Balkans, based on place names drawn from the ancient Greek literature. As a result, he preempted the relevant – more complete of course – work by Rigas Feraios [cat. no I.2.21].
In any case, Antiquity was the great mainstay of the cultural continuity of modern Hellenism. In the search specifically for its material monuments – in addition to the written ones – the first antiquity lovers who came to Greece would shape early Philhellenism.
6. Tolias 2001, Tolias 2006, Tolias 2008, 87-93.
7. See indicatively Lagogianni- Georgakarakos – Koutsogiannis 2017, 140-141 cat. no 58.
8. Parergon, sive veteris geographiae aliquot tabulae (Antwerp, Christopher Plantin, 1579), supplementary publication on the major work of Abraham Ortelius Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (Antwerp 1570). See Tolias 2008, 309-317, and Lagogianni- Georgakarakos – Koutsogiannis 2017, 124-125 cat. no 49.
Greece of Sophianos map published in the work
of Abraham Ortelius, Parergon, Antwerp 1579
Library of the Hellenic Parliament
Antiquity worship as early Philhellenism 31