This map is believed to have been personally engraved by Gerardus Mercator, as part of his publication of Ptolemy´s Geography. There are two states of the map. On the first, the world is surrounded by the elaborate strap-work and the twelve winds which were common on Ptolemaic World maps. On the second state of the map, the elaborate strap-work surround has been being replaced by the four elements Fire (Zeus), Air (Hera), Water (Neptune), and Earth (Gaia).
The Mercator Ptolemy atlas was published in a total of 8 editions between 1578 and 1730. The second state of the map, appeared in the last four editions: 1695, 1698, 1704, and 1730 editions.
