Between the 1450s and the 1550s, the reception of the Classical Tradition played a fundamental role in the creation of a sense of community among humanists of both Italian and German origins. This cultural phenomenon was not only driven by a certain use and reinterpretation of the past, but also by a new understanding of space made possible by the reception and further elaboration of ancient geographical material. In Italy, propelled by philological studies and interests, antiquarian enterprises supported a cultural geography that claimed historical and cultural significance to the Peninsula. This ideologically driven adaptation of ancient geography influenced German humanists in the way they represented their territory, which they started to call Teutschland. Preserving one of the earliest manuscripts attesting to the reception of Ptolemy north of the Alps and an extraordinary collection of geographical maps – in particular the only copy of Christophorus Pyramius’ map titled Germania (1547) – the HAB is the ideal place for investigating these significant trends in the European cultural discourse.

https://univie.academia.edu/SalvatoreLiccardo