Uniuersi orbis seu terreni globi in plano effigies

Created during Shakespeare's lifetime, this map illustrates the late 16th-century concept of the world. Europe and the Mediterranean regions were well understood and confidently mapped, along with Africa and Asia. The Americas are shown with recognizable east coasts, but the west coasts are based on conjecture. The unknown territories in the Americas and stories of the natives played into the fears of people in Europe. Maps of these areas display imaginative "barbarians," "cannibals," and dangerous alien creatures constituting a threat to "civilized" society.
Courtesy of Private Collection