Historia rerum ubique gestarum

Historia rerum ubique gestarum locorumque descriptio is an unfinished^[1] book written by Enea Silvio Piccolomini, who was later elected Pope Pius II in 1458.^[2] It was written originally in Latin, and the title roughly translates to "History of Achievements Everywhere." The original intent of the book was to record the history of human existence across the globe, as well as a historical and geographical cosmography.^[3][4] Piccolomini planned three sections, on Europe, Asia, and Africa.^[4] Only the sections on Europe (de Europa) and Asia (de Asia) were completed in 1458 and 1461, respectively.^[2][5] The incomplete book was published in Venice in 1477^[6][7] after his death, as Historia rerum ubique gestarum.^[4] The published version of the book also told the work of Eratosthenes on the size of the earth and was very heavily read and annotated by Christopher Columbus on his voyages. Columbus used this as one of the many works from which he pulled his ideas about the Earth.^[8][9] The copy that was used by Columbus to prepare for his voyages, along with his annotations, is now kept in the Columbine Library in Seville Cathedral in Seville, Spain.^[10] Historia rerum ubique gestarum has been translated into many different languages today, and copies of the book can sell for up to $2,200 USD.

The book has been criticized by W. G. L. Randles for expounding "every model in geography... without appearing to see any logical incompatibility between them... At no point in his generous eclectism does Piccolomini make a critical choice between the conflicting theories he reviews, not even to choosing between Homer and Ptolemy."^[11]

References

1. Stinger, Charles L. (1998). The Renaissance in Rome. Indiana University Press. p. 107. ISBN 978-0-253-33491-6.
2. Dueck, Daniela (2017-03-16). The Routledge Companion to Strabo. Taylor & Francis. p. 370. ISBN 978-1-317-44586-9.
3. Ridder-Symoens, Hilde de; Rüegg, Walter (2003-10-16). A History of the University in Europe: Volume 2, Universities in Early Modern Europe (1500-1800). Cambridge University Press. p. 19. ISBN 978-0-521-54114-5.
4. Boccaletti, Dino (2018-07-13). The Shape and Size of the Earth: A Historical Journey from Homer to Artificial Satellites. Springer. p. 131. ISBN 978-3-319-90593-8.
5. Classen, Carl Joachim (2003). Antike Rhetorik im Zeitalter des Humanismus (in German). Walter de Gruyter. p. 350. ISBN 978-3-598-77734-9.
6. Duzer, Chet Van (2018-08-03). Henricus Martellus's World Map at Yale (c. 1491): Multispectral Imaging, Sources, and Influence. Springer. p. 8. ISBN 978-3-319-76840-3.
7. Sayle, Charles E. (2010-04-22). Fitzwilliam Museum McClean Bequest: Catalogue of the Early Printed Books Bequeathed to the Museum by Frank McClean, M.A., F.R.S. Cambridge University Press. p. 164. ISBN 978-1-108-00783-2.
8. Forbes, Jack D. (2007). The American Discovery of Europe. University of Illinois Press. pp. 6–7. ISBN 978-0-252-03152-6.
9. Rickey, V. Frederick (1992). "How Columbus Encountered America". Mathematics Magazine. 65 (4): 219–225. doi:10.2307/2691445. ISSN 0025-570X. JSTOR 2691445.
10. Magasich-Airola, Jorge; Beer, Jean-Marc de (2007-07-01). America Magica (2nd edition): When Renaissance Europe Thought It Had Conquered Paradise. Anthem Press. p. 28. ISBN 978-1-84331-292-5.
11. Haase, Wolfgang; Reinhold, Meyer (1994). The Classical Tradition and the Americas: European images of the Americas and the classical tradition (2 pts.). Walter de Gruyter. pp. 37–38. ISBN 978-3-11-011572-7.

Further reading

• Pío II, Papa, et al. Historia Rerum Ubique Gestarum Del Papa Pio II. Testimonio, 1991.