Insulae Tremitanae, olim Diomedeae dictae.

Title

Insulae Tremitanae, olim Diomedeae dictae.

Description

Map shows the Trimetic Islands in the Adriatic Sea off the coast of Italy, with many sailing ships, a compass rose and a cartouche with index. This map was originally created by Blaeu in 1662 and then reprinted by Mortier in 1724. The islands include San Domino, Capraia and San Nicola.

ca. 1724

Artist

Mortier/ Blaeu, W. (1661-1711)

Pieter Mortier (1661–1711) was an 18th-century mapmaker and engraver from the Northern Netherlands. Mortier had a partnership with Johannes Covens I (1697-1774) and founded the map publishing company Covens & Mortier (1721-1866). Mortier, being French himself, had easy access to French cartographers such as De L'Isle, Sanson, Jaillot, de Fer and De Wit. Consequently, much of Mortier's business was built upon leveraging the sophisticated Dutch printing establishment to issue embellished high quality editions of previously contemporary French maps. In the greater context of global cartography, this was a significant advantage as most Dutch map publishes had, at this point, fallen into the miasma of reprinting their own outdated works. By contrast, the cartographers of France were producing the most accurate and up to date charts anywhere. Mortier's cartographic work culminated in the magnificent nautical atlas, Le Neptune Francois. Upon Pierre's death in 1711 this business was inherited by his widow. In 1721 his son Cornelius Mortier took over the day to day operation of the firm. Cornelius partnered with his brother-in-law Jean Covens to form one of history's great cartographic partnerships - Covens and Mortier - which continued to publish maps and atlases until about 1866.

Historical Description

In the past, the islands were also called "the islands of Diomedes", who is said to have been stranded here after the Trojan War. Administratively, they belong to the Italian region of Puglia and are located 12 nautical miles north of the Gargano Peninsula. The archipelago belongs to the province of Foggia. Since 1989, part of the municipality has been declared a marine nature reserve "Riserva naturale marina Isole Tremiti".In ancient times, the islands were inhabited since the 4th century BC. They were used early as a place of exile. In the Roman Empire, Emperor Augustus banished there the granddaughter Julia the Younger, allegedly for immorality, but probably for participation in a conspiracy against him. The Benedictines played a decisive role in the settlement and reclamation of the Tremiti Islands. According to the Chartularium Tremitense, the monastery was built in the 9th century as an immediate filial monastery of the Benedictine Abbey of Montecassino. The rich library under Abbot Eustasius around 1175 is known through the preserved list of books. In Napoleonic times, followers of the Neapolitan king Joachim Murat occupied the islands and entrenched themselves in the fortress. In 1843 a new colonization took place: Ferdinand II settled poor Neapolitans who could live from the rich fishing grounds around the islands. Therefore, even today the Tremitesi speak a Neapolitan dialect and not an Apulian one.