engleski

Orbis quadrifarius: The transmission of Crates’ theory of quadripartite earth in the Latin West

Crates of Mallos’ theory of quadripartite earth consisting of four habitable land-masses separated by equatorial and meridional oceans does not appear in Latin literature from the mid-first century B.C. to the last decade of the third century A.D. Subsequently it attained immense popularity and was well-known in both late antiquity and mediaeval period. Is it possible to recognise iconographic testimonies to Crates’ system on some Roman coins and contemporaneous art forms that would bridge the gap in the transmission of Crates’ theory during this period in the Latin West? The analysis of quartered globes that occasionally appear on Roman coins and other media from 46 B.C. to A.D. 383, accompanied by the study of the ideological context in which they occur and the position of Crates’ theory in this context, suggests it is unconvincing to claim that these depictions illustrate the quadripartite earth of Crates’ system.

Crates; quadripartite earth; transmission

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