Some annotations on the copy of Barent's chart of the Adriatic kept in Split

Abstract

Two variants of the nautical chart of the Adriatic by the Dutch mariner and arctic explorer Willem Barents (1550-1597) are known in scientific literature. The first one was produced and printed in Amsterdam in 1595 (Chart 1), Being used for navigation, its function was priniarily practical. On the other hand, Chart 2 from the year 1595. (1637- 1662) was used as a geostrstegic chart of the Adriatic and southern parts of Europe. In other words, with the invasion of the Turks, from the second half of the I6th century important military and political changes were taking place on the northern coasts of the Adriatic Sea, especially in the hinterland. As a matter of fact, a chart of this kind was missing in the "Atlases" by the Dutch Jan (Johann; Ioannes) Janssonius (1588-1664), printed in Amsterdam several times between 1637-1662. Chart 1 by Barents, which printing plate was available to Janssonius, could fulfill this function. Having made only indispensable modifications in conformity with the visual art standards in cartography of the first half of the 17th century, Janssonius published this chart. In this way, Chart 2 lost its original practical function and assumed characteristics of a chart important for its fundamental geostrategic elements. These essential problems of Chart 1 and Chart 2 are the subject of this paper.