Ortelius's map of Europe. This map of Europe is from the 1603 edition of 'Theatrum orbis terrarum' (Theatre of the World). First published in 1570 by Flemish mapmaker Abraham Ortelius (1527-1598), this collection of 53 maps is considered to be the first true modern atlas. There were two versions of the 'Europae' map: 1570 and 1584. This is the 1603 state of the 1584 version (several states were produced between 1584 and 1609). It includes a compass rose (top right), a scale bar (lower left), and for the title there is a representation of the figure of Europa and the bull (upper left) from Greek mythology, personifying the continent.