Old Topographic Map of Greece & the Aegean Sea by Bartholomew, 1922: Athens, Thessaloniki, Crete, Dardanelles, Bosporus

2026-04-26T00:21:47+01:00

Price: 0.00 - 1875.00 (36 variants)

Greece and the Aegean is the original title of this 1922 masterwork from The Times atlas series, issued by The Edinburgh Geographical Institute and John Bartholomew & Son, Ltd. The second issue of the 1920 edition, it embodies John George Bartholomew’s drive to unite scientific exactitude with inviting design. Meticulously revised and corrected, the sheet assembles the political and physical geography of Greece and its maritime sphere with the clarity that made the Bartholomew name synonymous with precision. Hypsometric tints and carefully plotted spot heights render the Greek mainland and islands in lucid relief, while bathymetric shading gives the Aegean depth and contour. Across this canvas, key shipping routes are traced with purpose, tying ports, straits, and archipelagos into a coherent portrait of movement, commerce, and strategic passage.

The landforms unfold in elegant gradations: coastal plains shading to foothills and then to the stony ramparts of the Pindus, the Taygetus in the Peloponnese, and Crete’s lofty spine crowned by Ida. Spot heights pick out eminences with a surveyor’s certainty, while river systems—including the Axios and Aliakmonas—are set as vital threads through Macedonia and Thessaly. The Saronic and Thermaic Gulfs, the Gulf of Corinth, and the narrows that lace mainland and island are named with care, anchoring the geography in lived experience. In Bartholomew’s palette, altitude becomes intelligible at a glance, so that Olympus is not merely labeled—it rises.

The sea receives equal authority. Bathymetric tints articulate shelves and deeps, from the Cycladic plateau to the darker soundings that rim the southern Aegean and the approaches to Crete. Clearly marked shipping routes sweep out from Piraeus and thread among the Cyclades and Sporades, arc to Chios and Izmir (Smyrna), and converge on the great straits that lead to the Sea of Marmara and beyond. These plotted lanes suggest prevailing pathways for commerce and passage, illuminating how wind, water, and safe channels dictate the cadence of maritime life. The Aegean’s complexity—its capes, sounds, and lee-side havens—reads here as both navigational guide and distilled maritime history.

Political geography is rendered with crisp boundaries, setting Greece against the facing shores of Turkey while delineating the internal regions that shape the Hellenic world—Macedonia and Epirus to the north and west, Thessaly and the Attic heartland, the sweeping Peloponnese, and the insular realms of the Aegean. Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras, Larissa, Heraklion, and Kalamata appear as urban anchors, balanced by Izmir and Constantinople (Istanbul) along the Anatolian rim. Issued in the unsettled aftermath of the First World War, the map registers a region in flux with sober exactitude. Corrections from the 1920 state refine borders and place-names, while Bartholomew’s typographic hierarchy ensures that towns, rivers, and relief harmonize without crowding or ambiguity.

Two inset maps deepen the narrative. Athens, at 1:300,000, draws the lens inward to Attica, highlighting the capital’s relationship to Piraeus and the Saronic shore—an urban geography shaped by classical legacy and modern connection to the sea. The Dardanelles and Bosporus inset, at 1:500,000, isolates the strategic gates linking the Aegean, the Sea of Marmara, and the Black Sea, clarifying channels and headlands where geography and history meet. Together, these insets exemplify Bartholomew’s method: regional sweep joined to local precision, cartography that guides the eye from the grand architecture of coasts and ranges to the critical details that determine passage, polity, and place.

Cities and towns on this map

Athens (pop. ~3.1 million)

Thessaloniki (pop. ~1 million)

Patras (pop. ~200,000)

Larissa (pop. ~150,000)

Heraklion (Crete) (pop. ~140,000)

Kalamata (pop. ~70,000)

Izmir (pop. ~4.3 million)

Constantinople (Istanbul) (pop. ~15 million)

Notable Features & Landmarks

Hypsometric tints indicating elevation levels.

Bathymetric tints representing ocean depths.

Shipping routes marked clearly across the Aegean Sea.

Inset maps of Athens (1:300,000 scale) and the Dardanelles/Bosporus (1:500,000 scale).

Spot heights for notable peaks.

Key geographic labels identifying towns and landmarks.

Political borders delineated, showing the boundaries between regions.

Historical and design context

Published in 1922 as part of "The Times" atlas series by The Edinburgh Geographical Institute and John Bartholomew & Son, Ltd.

This edition is the second issue of the 1920 edition, reflecting advancements in cartographic practices.

Mapmaker/Publisher: John George Bartholomew; noted for integrating precise mapping techniques.

The map features vibrant colors to demarcate different elevations and water depths, enhancing usability for navigation.

Inset maps of Athens and the Dardanelles/Bosporus provide localized detail.

Reflects the evolution of mapping techniques in the early 20th century, emphasizing accuracy and user-friendly designs.

Included corrections from the original 1920 edition indicate a commitment to precision.

Please double check the images to make sure that a specific town or place is shown on this map. You can also get in touch and ask us to check the map for you.

This map looks great at every size, but I always recommend going for a larger size if you have space. That way you can easily make out all of the details.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 70in (180cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

Please note: the labels on this map are hard to read if you order a map that is 16in (40cm) or smaller. The map is still very attractive, but if you would like to read the map easily, please buy a larger size.

The model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45x60cm) version of this map.