Europe während der beiden Eiszeiten

Curious, scientific map of Europe showing the extend of the
glaciers during two Glacial Maximums or ice ages and the southern border of the
north polar ice sheet including deposits of glacial erratic rocks. Areas cover
by ocean during the second ice age and distribution of glacial and periglacial
soil types, Loess (orange) and Chernozem (green) are also marked. Two inset maps
show the extend of glaciers in Lombardy and Switzerland during the ice ages.

The Geographische Mitteilungen, in which this map was originally published, is the oldest German language geographical journal - its first issue was in 1855 and it finally closed its doors in 2004. The magazine was conceived and edited by August Heinrich Petermann and published by the venerable firm of Justus Perthes in Gotha, Germany.

Its first article reported on an expedition into North Africa and the Sahara by Heinrich Barth and Adolf Overweg. This report was enough to secure a circulation of 4000 for the fledgling magazine and, more importantly, encouraged other important scientist-explorers of the day who were attracted by the magazine’s heavy scientific emphasis to send in their own reports. These included Hans Meyer, the first man to ascend the Kibo crater on Mount Kilimanjaro, Sven Hedin, the Swedish explorer of Central Asia and the Himalayas, and Alfred Wegener, the geoscientist who pioneered the theory of continental shift which led to the modern theory of plate tectonics.

In comparison to its contemporaries, such as the Geographical Journal of the Royal Geographical Society, the Mitteilungen had a far greater interest in ethnography and the physical and natural sciences, leading to the inclusion of many fascinating, but sometimes obscure, maps on the most recent theories related to climatology, meteorology, botany, and zoology.

The map was further updated and revised by Karl Hermann Berendt, a former physician who gave up medicine to study the natural history and philology of the Americas.

Printed colour.