Great Britain, Ireland, Roman Roads N. Sanson/P. Mariette, 1641, Les Isles Britanniques Suivant l'Itineraire Romain d'Antonin.

Very rare folio sized copper engraved map by N. Sanson (the older), engraved by Tavernier and published by Mariette in Paris, dated 1641, published in 1652. The map shows the British Isles in Roman times. The title (in French) is placed over the printed title in Latin to be used in a French edition of the atlas.

It shows the Roman Roads (in England and Wales) as described in the Antonine Itinerary. This is a register of the stations and distances along various roads. Seemingly based on official documents, possibly in part from a survey carried out under Augustus, it describes the roads of the Roman Empire. The British section is known as the Iter Britanniarum, and can be described as the 'road map' of Roman Britain. There are 15 such itineraries in the document applying to different geographic areas.

The itinerary measures distances in Roman miles, where 1,000 Roman paces equals one Roman mile. A Roman pace was two steps, left plus right, and was conventionally set at 5 Roman feet (0.296m), resulting in a Roman mile of approximately 1,480 metres (0.92 miles).

Excellent condition. Original coloring.

Image 40x53cm, page 43x58cm