History of International Relations Textbook

Book blog

Atlas of Mauretania

I always thought “atlases” — books of maps, that is — were named after Atlas, the Greek titan who carries the earth on his shoulders (see above). And it is indeed he who appears on an engraving of Tavole Moderne Di Geografia De La Maggior Parte Del Mondo Di Diversi Autori , a collection of maps published by Antonio Lafreri in 1572. However, it was Gerardus Mercator, the legendary map-maker, who invented the term and apparently he did not have the Greek titan in mind at all but rather “Atlas of Mauretania,” a famous philosopher, mathematician, and astronomer, who also was king of Mauretania.  Not very much is known about this man, however. Wikipedia has next to nothing.

“Mauri,” from which “Mauretania” is derived, was the Roman term for the Berber kingdoms of North Africa. But this is also where the Atlas mountains are located. In fact ádrār in Berber means “mountain.”  The Atlantic Ocean was named after Atlas and so was the lost island of Atlantis. Moroccans seem to have been great geographers. Ibn-Batuta was from Morocco too.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

6 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Anonymus
Anonymus
5 years ago

Just so you know. Atlas of Mauretinia is the same guy as the Greek Atlas…

Mauretanian
4 years ago
Reply to  Anonymus

Atlas of Mauretania is a real king, while Greek Titan is just a myth created by Plato and others.

All of other Titans names have been driven from Mauretania’s kings history.

I have an objection against this statement《was the Roman term for the Berber kingdoms of North Africa》Mauri people is the inhabitants of Kingdom of Mauretania only they’re called also 《Mauretania = Mauri in Punic means (Western Land) = Moors/Moorish (English) = Maures/Mauresques (French) = Moro//Morescos = Marruecos = Maroc = Morocco》, other Berber of North Africa are 《Numidia/ Numidians》and《Carthage/ Carthaginian》, Mauri is for Mauretanians only not for others because it’s a nationality.

Mauri
3 years ago
Reply to  Mauretanian

I agree with what the comment above me said (Mauretanian).

Mauretani itself is one of the 3 kingdoms in the North Africa how should it be a Roman term then?! check your facts and correct your mistakes.

Mauri people are the inhabitants of Kingdom of Mauretania only they’re called also 《Mauretania = Mauri in Punic means (Western Land) = Moors/Moorish (English) = Maures/Mauresques (French) = Moro//Morescos = Marruecos = Maroc = Morocco》, other Berber of North Africa are 《Numidia/ Numidians》and《Carthage/ Carthaginian》, Mauri is for Mauretanians only not for others because it’s a nationality.

Tuhi Brown
Tuhi Brown
2 years ago
Reply to  Mauri

Incorrect, mauri was a world civilization, mauri in māori, means source energy, we are māori, hawaii are maoli, and easter island is maohi, but they are all dialects of the same thing, mauri peoples.

Mario Jones
3 years ago
Reply to  Mauretanian

Plato did not create the myth of Atlas. Atlas the king created the myth through a legendary life. The gods were just powerful men and woman who became legends. (exaggerations of themselves). This is pretty basic. So they could indeed be the same person.

Dean
Dean
2 years ago
Reply to  Mauretanian

Plato stated in his writings Criteus and Tameus that the story of the list city of Atlantis was in fact true, and that it was handed down in his family from his 6th generation relative Solon who visited a temple in Egypt and had the head priest transcribe hieroglyphs on the temple wall. There is now some evidence that the Eye of the Sahara or ‘Richat Structure’ is the lost city of Atlantis because has the same dimensions, orientation and concentric rings that are described by Plato. This area in Mauritania alsk appears to have been washed away by water possibly during the Younger Dryas Impact and Climate Catastrophe that happened around 11,500 years ago… which just happens to be almost the same date referred to by Plato when you add his 9,000 years to the date he wrote about Atlantis in 400BC + 2020AD. There are many other facts and evidence that suggest this is where Atlantis once existed… but it will take a brave archeological expedition to travel to the site and carry our excavations because Mauritania is full of Islamic extremists and terrorists who kidnap westerners for ransom or execution by be heading. Good luck with that!

6
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x