Niebuhr's lectures on Roman history, Vol. 1 (of 3)Niebuhr, Barthold Georg
History
Niebuhr's lectures on Roman history, Vol. 1 (of 3)
Niebuhr, Barthold Georg
Rome -- History
As to maps, that of d’Anville is unquestionably to be recommended.
D’Anville was a genius: he possessed the acuteness to discriminate
among conflicting statements those which were worthy of belief; he was
like a great artist, who, with very simple instruments, does more than
another with the most perfect ones. His works on the interior of Africa
are extraordinary, considering the few notices which he had. Not to
be excelled are his maps of Gaul, Spain, and Britain; unsurpassed is
his map of Italy, although much might be improved in it. He is less
perfect with regard to Greece. For Epirus and Macedon, he was of course
unable to make use of the more correct information of modern times, the
interior of these countries not being then explored by travellers; the
Peloponnesus he worked out mostly from the Portulan maps. Barbié du
Bocage, his pupil, was likewise highly to be esteemed; but with such a
predecessor, he was in a disadvantageous position. He continued several
of d’Anville’s works with little success. He found, for instance, that
Patras in d’Anville’s map was placed 30 minutes too far north, and he
accordingly changed the position; yet, although he was in the right, he
twenty years afterwards restored it to d’Anville’s original position.
D’Anville has in Italy one single mathematical error with regard to
the south-eastern part of Naples, where the country of the Sallentines
lies about 20 minutes too little to the east. For d’Anville had as yet
no other maps at hand but the Venetian ones, in which the outlines are
generally excellent, but the longitudes for the most part incorrect.
The comparison of d’Anville’s maps with those of his predecessors, as
those of Delisle and others, makes him still more admirable. His map
of Egypt is an extraordinary performance, if we consider that he had
only the rude outlines of the Arabian and Turkish maps to work from.
An apparent defect in his map of Italy is this, that it represents a
distinct period, about that of Augustus, and in consequence there is
a discrepancy in the settlement of the confines which might make one
inclined to censure him; and yet one ought to be very careful not to
do so. Samnium, for instance, according to Livy, still included a very
large tract which d’Anville draws into Apulia, because he follows the
description of Italy by Pliny.
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