Marcus Beneventanus was an Italian Celestine monk working in the early sixteenth century. He devoted himself to his religion and withdrew from the temptations that lay beyond the monastery’s walls. Beneventanus was dedicated to studying Latin, classical literature, and cartography. The church’s need for illuminated ceremonial books ensured Beneventanus became a skilled artist. 

In 1507, supported by the poet Joannes Cotta Veronesi, Beneventanus edited the Rome edition of 

’s ‘Geographia’. The book contained Ptolemy’s ancient maps, as well as six new maps of the ‘modern’ world. The maps depicted Northern Europe, Spain, France, Italy, Palestine, and Central Europe, regions with which Beneventanus was both geographically and religiously familiar.

Uncoloured map of the known world by Ruysch