Ambrosius Theodosius Macrobius

Macrobius Ambrosius Theodosius was a Greek philosopher and praetorian prefect of Italy.

In c. 400 CE he authored a commentary on Cicero’s Dream of Scipio, where he outlined his philosophies of the cosmos, and he noted that the Sun’s diameter was double the Earth’s. In 431 CE he wrote the Saturnalia, which was published as a book in 1483 with his unique world map.

Macrobius’ map was typical of medieval cartography and reflects his support of the theory that the world was spherical. It used a hemispheric projection to split the world into climactic zones. The landmass at the map’s centre demonstrated the Medieval belief that the Earth needed to be counterbalanced by another continent.

The book proved very popular and was reprinted by Giovanni Griffio the Elder in 1565