Prof. Dr. Pal NIKOLLI

Introduction: an important evidence of the revival of ancient geography.

The map of Illyria, presented in the Ptolemaic tradition and published at the beginning of the 17th century by the Dutch cartographer and scholar Petrus Bertius (Pieter Bert, 1565–1629), constitutes a document of particular importance for the history of European cartography and for the historical study of the Western Balkans.

Its value lies not only in the graphic representation of the territory, but also in the fact that it represents an important moment in the return of the geography of Antiquity to the European cartography of the Renaissance and the beginning of the Modern Era. The conceptual basis of the map is related to the work of the Alexandrian geographer and astronomer Claudius Ptolemaeus, who in the 2nd century AD elaborated an extensive system of coordinates and geographical descriptions for the known world of the time.

However, an important distinction must be made between the ancient source of geographical information and the concrete map published in the 17th century. Bertius was not the author of the original ancient data on Illyria; he reproduced and systematized them within the tradition of Ptolemaic cartography, adapting them to the knowledge, engraving technique, and cartographic conventions of his time.

The map is related to the activity of the great Dutch cartographic centers and to the tradition of publications associated with Jodocus Hondius and his followers. In this sense, it should be seen as a document of neo-Ptolemaic cartography, where the information of Antiquity is combined with the spatial representation of the 16th–17th centuries.

Another element of particular interest is the use of Latin, the international scientific language of Europe at the time. The names of cities, rivers, mountains, regions, and populations appear in their classical forms, while in some cases the cartographer adds later names to make ancient places identifiable for the contemporary reader.

Thus, a note of the type “Lissus nunc Alessio” is particularly significant: it connects ancient Lissus with Alessio, the name used for Lezha in the later period. This practice of linking ancient toponymy with modern one is one of the most valuable characteristics of historical cartography.

I. Albanopolis and Albani: a central node of historical identification.

One of the most important elements of the map, especially for the history of the Albanian space, is the representation of Albanopolis and the Albani ethnonym.

In the Ptolemaic tradition, Albanopolis appears as a city associated with the Albani, a community/tribe located in the central part of the space of Southern Illyria. In the neo-Ptolemaic maps of the modern period, this designation is preserved as part of the direct legacy of the classical source.

This is precisely where its importance for the history of the name Albania and Albani lies. The ethnonym Albani and the toponym Albanopolis are documented in ancient sources many centuries before the emergence of the medieval and modern forms of naming Albanians and their country.

In Albanian historiography and archaeology, Albanopolis has been widely associated with the archaeological center of Zgërdhesh, near Kruja, although the identification should not be treated as an absolutely closed fact. The issue of the exact localization of Albanopolis remains a scientific problem that combines Ptolemy’s evidence, archaeology, historical topography, and analysis of the ancient coordinate network.

For this reason, Bertius’ map should be read not simply as “proof” of a particular location, but as evidence of the way in which Ptolemaic geography placed Albanopolis and the Albans in the space of Southern Illyria.

This is of particular importance because in the map of the early 17th century the ancient name Albani continues to be present and recognizable. Thus, the cartography of Bertius’ time preserves in graphic form one of the earliest evidences of the European tradition for the name Alban-.

II. Southern Illyria and the Adriatic area.

One of the main features of the map is the presentation of the eastern Adriatic coast as a dense space with ports, cities, rivers and communication routes.

The coast is not presented as a simple natural border, but as a historical communication corridor, through which the inner Balkan spaces were connected to the Adriatic and, through it, to the Mediterranean world.

– Lissus

Lissus, today’s Lezha, occupies an important position. In the cartographic tradition of the modern period, the notation “Lissus nunc Alessio” is particularly interesting because it brings together two chronological layers of toponymy.

This mode of presentation gives historical maps a dual function: they are both documents of ancient geography and tools for identifying places in contemporary space for the 17th-century reader.

– Dyrrachium

To the south appears Dyrrachium, ancient Durrës, one of the most important urban and port centers of the eastern Adriatic.

Durrës’s position was particularly important for communication between the Adriatic and the Balkan interior. The city was connected to road networks leading eastward and, through them, to the centers of Macedonia and the wider Roman world.

– Apollonia

Apollonia appears as another important center of the southern Illyrian coast. Its position near the Apsus river system connected it to the economic and communication network of the interior.

Apollonia was simultaneously an urban, port, cultural and educational center. Its historical importance is also evidenced by its connections with the Hellenistic and Roman worlds.

– Ulcinj

Further north, Ulcinium, today’s Ulcinj, appears, testifying to the continuity of a network of coastal cities along the eastern Adriatic.

Further north, the cartographic tradition includes centers such as Rhisinium/Risinium and Epidaurum, associated with the area of ​​present-day Risan and Cavtat, respectively.

III. Hydrographic network: Drilon, Apsus and Aous.

One of the most important aspects of map reading is hydrography.

In ancient geography, rivers were not simply physical elements. They constituted communication corridors, territorial boundaries, spatial orientations, and reference points for determining the location of cities and populations.

Among the main rivers represented in this area are:

Drilon, connected to the Drin system;

Apsus, corresponding to the Seman system, composed of its main branches;

and Aous, the river known in ancient tradition and identifiable with the Vjosa.

It should be noted that the identification of ancient hydronyms with modern rivers is not always mechanical. Changes in course, names, geographical perception, and especially the inaccuracies of Ptolemaic coordinates require critical analysis.

However, the combination of hydronyms + cities + mountain ranges + coordinates creates a powerful network for reconstructing historical geography.

IV. Dardania and the interior spaces.

To the east and northeast of Illyria appears the vast expanse of Dardania, one of the most important regions of the inner Balkans.

In Ptolemaic cartography, Dardania is presented in close relationship with the mountain massifs and the network of roads that connected the Adriatic with the interior areas of the Balkans.

One of the most distinctive elements is Scardus mons, which is associated with the Sharr Mountains system.

In this area, the Ptolemaic tradition includes a series of ancient toponyms, among which Thermidava, Siparontum and other Dardanian centers are also mentioned in modern interpretations.

But methodological caution is required here: the identification of any Ptolemaic toponym with a modern city is not certain from geographical or phonetic similarity alone. The conclusion requires a combination of coordinates, archaeology, ancient itineraries, and other historical evidence.

This is particularly important for the study of historical maps: a 17th-century map reproducing Ptolemy is itself a historical document, but should not automatically be treated as a modern measurement of ancient territory.

V. Lychnidus, Deborus and the expanse of lakes

In the southeast and east of the Illyrian area, a transition zone begins between Illyria, Paeonia and Macedonia.

Here, Lychnidus, the ancient city connected to Ohrid, stands out, as well as the large lake that constituted an important element of the geography of this space.

Deborus is also mentioned, associated with the Dibra area and the upper Drini system.

Further on appears the Axius fluvius, today’s Vardar, which constituted one of the main hydrographic axes of the central Balkans.

In this space, names related to Lyncestis, Dassaretia, and other border territories also appear. These areas are particularly important for understanding that the ethnic, political, and cultural borders of Antiquity do not necessarily coincide with modern state borders.

VI. Southern spaces.

– Amantia

Amantia appears as an important center of the southern space. The ancient city is located in the present-day territory of Vlora and is connected to the Shushica valley area.

Its position demonstrates the importance of fortified centers that controlled communication between coastal areas and the mountainous interior.

– Byllis

Byllis, the important center of the Bylins, was one of the main cities of the Vjosa valley area.

Its position on a dominant height above the surrounding territory made it an important strategic and urban center.

– Anyway

Oricum, in the Bay of Vlora, represents another connection between the marine and terrestrial worlds.

Its position near the entrance to the bay made it particularly important for navigation and control of sea corridors.

Antigonia

In the Drinos valley, Antigonia appears, an important city.

– Phoenix

Phoenice, modern-day Phoenicia, was an important center of Chaonia and one of the most powerful cities in the southern region.

VII. Acroceraunia: the mountainous border between the seas and the provinces.

Another important element is the Acroceraunia iuga, or Acroceraunian mountains.

This mountain system is connected to the present-day Vetëtima, Llogara and Kanal mountain ranges, in southwestern Albania.

In ancient geography, the Acroceraunes constituted a powerful orienting element and a natural boundary between different coastal areas.

Their importance is not only physical-geographic, but also cartographic: large mountains served as reference points for constructing space on the map, especially in a period when direct geodetic measurements were limited.

VIII. More than a map: a palimpsest of geographical memory.

Bertius’ map can be interpreted as a kind of cartographic palimpsest.

Several historical layers overlap in it:

– the first layer is the ancient geography of Ptolemy;

– the second layer is the medieval tradition of preserving and transmitting names;

– the third layer is the European humanism of the Renaissance, which brought back classical authors;

– the fourth layer is the technique of Dutch cartography of the 16th–17th centuries;

– and the fifth layer consists of modern names from Bertius’ time, which in some cases appear alongside ancient names.

This makes the map particularly valuable for the history of Albania and the Balkans. It not only tells us “where a place was”, but also how Europe at the beginning of the 17th century perceived its ancient space.

IX. The methodological importance of the map for the history of Albanian lands.

For the study of Albanian lands through historical maps, this map is important in at least four ways.

First, it preserves ancient toponymy and enables us to compare Ptolemy’s names with the forms used in later centuries.

Second, it documents the relative positioning of cities, rivers, and mountain ranges.

Thirdly, it demonstrates the continuity of European cartography’s interest in the ancient geography of Illyria, Epirus, and Dardania.

Fourth, it has a special importance for the study of the history of the name Albania, because it preserves in the European cartographic tradition the important pair Albani – Albanopolis.

However, the scientific use of this map requires a fundamental principle: the map should be analyzed as a historical source, not as a modern map with modern geodetic accuracy.

Ptolemy’s coordinates contain known distortions. The relative positions of cities may be shifted, and distances should not be measured directly as if they were produced by a modern reference system.

Precisely for this reason, comparison with archaeology, epigraphy, ancient itineraries, hydrography, topography, and modern GIS is the most appropriate method for a contemporary analysis.

X. Conclusion: a cartographic bridge from Ptolemy to the geographical identity of Albania.

Petrus Bertius’ map of Illyria and the surrounding areas is an extraordinary document in the history of European cartography. It brings together in a single cartographic surface the geography of Antiquity, the humanism of the Renaissance, the technique of Dutch engraving, and the need of early 17th-century Europe to reconstruct the space of the classical world.

It reveals a complex territory where Illyria, Dardania, Paeonia, Macedonia and Epirus intertwine, connected by a network of cities, rivers, mountains and populations.

From Lissus and Dyrrachium, to Apollonia, Albanopolis, Lychnidus, Amantia, Byllis, Antigonia and Phoenice, the map preserves an important part of the geographical memory of the ancient Balkans.

But above all, for the history of the Albanian lands, its importance is centered on the presence of Albanopolis and Albani. These two names constitute important evidence of the ancient tradition of the name Alban-, which will take on much greater importance in medieval and modern sources.

In this sense, Bertius’ map should not be seen simply as a reproduction of an ancient map. It is a document of the history of European geographical memory: a testament to how, many centuries after Ptolemy, the geography of Illyria and the Albanian spaces continued to live on in European scientific cartography.