»An Accurate Description of the Friuli« (Fori Iulii accurata descriptio) – the Earliest Preserved Map in Slovenian Archival Institutions

SLOVENIA, July 31 - Cartography of the 16th century reached its peak in the works of the Dutch cartographers Abraham Ortelius, Gerard Mercator and Gerard de Jode. Their extensive cartographic collections were compiled using data obtained from people familiar with individual geographic regions and through the consultation of earlier maps and written sources.

In 1570, Abraham Ortelius published his Theatrum orbis terrarum in Antwerp, the first modern atlas of the world. In the first edition, he used 53 sheets of paper to publish 70 maps created by the leading cartographers of his time, whose names he also listed in a separate catalogue of the sources. Owing to high demand, the atlas was reprinted later that same year, and over 40 editions were published in various languages over the following decades. Successive editions were gradually expanded with new maps, published in special supplements.

In the 1573 Latin edition of the atlas, Iulii accurata descriptio was published for the first time as one of the 17 new supplemented maps. Its author was Joannes Sambucus, a Hungarian court council in Vienna, who was known for collecting historical records and maps, which he corrected, revised, and then republished.   

The map is adorned with four decorative cartouches (ornamental frame or panel). The title cartouche in the upper left-hand corner of the map bears the inscription FORI IVLII ACCVRATA DESCRIPTIO (»An Accurate Description of the Friuli«). The title does not fully reflect the actual geographic extend of the area depicted, as the map encompasses not only the Friuli but also the southwestern part of present-day Slovenia and Istria. Below the title appears the inscription Cum Privilegio, signifying that the map was printed under Imperial Privilege. 

The upper right-hand corner bears a cartouche indicating the source of the map model, with the inscription Ex Bibliotheca nobilis et doctissimi Ioannis Sambuci, Imperatoriae Maiestatis Historici. 1573. (»From the library of the noble and most learned Joannes Sambucus, the Imperial Historian to His Majesty«). The inscription suggests that in preparing the map, Ortelius used a model from Sambucus' library or cartographic collection.

The cartouche in the central left part of the map, bearing the inscription IVLIAE ALPES, indicates the Julian Alps, while the one in the central right part, inscribed IAPIDES, ET CARNI, refers to the ancient peoples of the Iapodes and the Carni. Among the ornamental elements, the two ships and the whale depicted in the Adriatic Sea are particularly striking. Such decorative features are among the most characteristic visual elements of cartographic works from the second half of the 16th century.

The map presented here as this month's archivalia is kept at the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia in our Collection of charts and maps (SI AS 1069). Divided into 12 series, the collection includes 3194 items and 13 rolls of cartographic material, dating from the 16th until the 21st century. It includes mostly maps of Slovenia and its surrounding regions, as well as maps of individual European countries. It is completely digitized, facilitating its access and use in research work. Sambucus' »An Accurate Description of the Friuli« is the oldest map in our collection and is believed to be the oldest map preserved in any Slovenian archival institutions. It is preserved in a form of a leaf from the atlas, displaying a distinctive vertical fold line. At the back of the map, there is a Latin inscription FORVM IVLII and pagination 59, which confirms its original binding into the copy of Ortelious' atlas. The leaf measures 44 x 55 cm, and the size of the imprinted engraving is 35.5 x 47 cm.

The map Fori Iulii accurata descriptio is a valuable source for the study of the historical geography of the territory between the Alps and the Adriatic Sea in the second half of the 16th century. In addition to its cartographic significance, it also reflects the humanist fascination with Antiquity, evident in the labelling of the two ancient peoples of the Iapodes and the Carni, as well as in the use of ancient geographic names. As part of Ortelius' atlas Theatrum orbis terrarum, the map is considered one of the earliest printed maps that helped spread geographic knowledge about the European counties of the period and had an important influence on the further development of cartography.

David Knez