ABSTRACT
When Bernhard von Breitenbach and Erhard Reuwich published the Peregrinatio, with its panoramic map, in 1486, the Ptolemaic maps of Syria-Palestine were already in print. The first printed edition, in Latin, appeared at Bologna in 1477; it was followed by another Latin edition printed in Rome in 1478. The several printings of the maps associated with Ptolemy's Geography offered two distinct maps, one drawn from the original Ptolemaic tradition of the Roman empire in the second century, and the other from the tradition of late medieval biblical scholarship. Lastly, Lucas Cranach's map uses the earlier Ptolemaic map to present the biblical account of the Exodus and wilderness wanderings. Apart from the input of the Ptolemaic tradition, these early printed maps reflect the biblical interests — and in Cranach's case, the Reformation interests — of their time. They also demonstrate clearly the potential for the cartographer of the newly developed skills of the printer.
