The Geography

[PREFACE CONTINUED]

For I have not been forgetful of the papal dignity, nor have I placed anyone else before the Supreme Pontiff; rather, mindful of human frailty and conscious of my own insignificance, I decided that I should not stand by my own judgment on such a great matter until it had been approved by the greatest mathematicians. Therefore, this work was sent by us to that city Rome where, by the authority of the Prince the Pope who favors good talents, there is a wealth of learned men who have spent their entire lives in this genre of literature. They are able to judge most exactly, and because of our shared studies and long-standing acquaintance, they were most friendly toward me and greatly desired that the work be rendered more correctly. Now, therefore, having been examined and approved by them, it seemed worthy that the material itself—not only more polished but also as adorned as I could possibly make it—should finally come forth into the sight of Your Papal Majesty. It will be a matter for your clemency, therefore, Most Blessed Father original: "B. P." for "Beatissime Pater", to receive this gift from a most devoted servant, so that even if the rest of it is not worthy of the highest praise, you might not despise my diligence and devotion toward Your Holiness. For it belongs to the majesty of the papal height original: "pontificio culmine," referring to the pinnacle of church authority to look not at how much I have given, but how much I wished to give. Love your humble suppliant.

( ( THE FIRST BOOK OF THE COSMOGRAPHY OF CLAUDIUS PTOLEMY CONTAINS THESE MATTERS:

( ( In what way cosmography differs from chorography Cosmography is the mapping of the whole known world, while chorography is the detailed mapping of specific local regions.
( ( What things must be presupposed for cosmography
( ( How the measurement of the earth's circumference is to be understood from the dimension of stades A "stade" was an ancient unit of distance, roughly 185 meters. for any straight distance, even if the measurement is not under the same meridian, and vice-versa
( ( That observations from the heavens literally "superior things," meaning astronomical observations of stars and the sun are to be preferred over the reports of travelers
( ( That newer histories should be more trusted because of the changes that occur in the world over various times
( ( Concerning the edition of the cosmography of Marinus Marinus of Tyre was Ptolemy's predecessor; Ptolemy's book is largely a critique and expansion of Marinus's lost work.
( ( Correction of the latitude of Marinus based on the observations of predecessors
( ( The same correction based on voyages made
( ( That the Ethiopians should not be placed further south than the parallel opposite the parallel through Meroe Meroe was an ancient city on the Nile in modern-day Sudan, used as a key reference point for the edge of the known southern world.

( ( Things in longitude incorrectly edited by Marinus
( ( Correction of the longitude of the known earth from travels
( ( The same correction from voyages
( ( Concerning the navigation from the Golden Chersonese to Cattigara The "Golden Chersonese" refers to the Malay Peninsula; "Cattigara" was a far-eastern port, likely in modern-day Vietnam or China.
( ( Concerning those things in which Marinus disagrees in his particular exposition
( ( That he omitted certain things concerning the boundaries of regions
( ( In what things he disagrees with the history of our time
( ( On the inconvenience of Marinus's method in designating the world
( ( On the convenience of our work in designating the world
( ( On the inequality of the dimensions of Marinus’s map
( ( What must be observed for the designation of the world on a plane
( ( How our habitable world should be designated on a sphere
( ( Exposition of the meridians and parallels to be designated on the world
( ( In what manner the spherical earth is designated as equal on a plane surface

( ( THE FIRST BOOK OF THE COSMOGRAPHY OF CLAUDIUS PTOLEMY, MAN OF ALEXANDRIA, BEGINS

( ( CHAPTER I: IN WHAT WAY COSMOGRAPHY DIFFERS FROM CHOROGRAPHY.

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