Map of the Mediterranean Sea Explaining Currents and Motion

This black-and-white print features a map of the Mediterranean Sea oriented with landmasses represented as islands in a vast sea. At the top left, an ornate cartouche contains the title, flanked by two cherubs and decorative scrollwork. The map details geographical regions like Hispania, Gallia, Italia, and Egypt, marking rivers such as the Nile and specific landmarks like the Alps. It serves as a scientific illustration of marine topography and fluid dynamics as understood in the 17th century.

This map is a plate from Athanasius Kircher’s 'Mundus Subterraneus' (1665), a foundational work of early modern natural philosophy that attempted to map the subterranean and hydraulic systems of the earth. It reflects Kircher's encyclopedic effort to explain the natural world through observation and speculative systems.