description Peutinger Table (Tabula Peutingeriana) Overview
The Peutinger Table, or Tabula Peutingeriana, is a medieval parchment copy of an ancient Roman route map showing the road network across Europe, North Africa, and parts of Asia. Its extremely elongated format distorts geographic shapes so that roads, settlements, distances, rivers, and staging points can be displayed as a connected itinerary. The surviving manuscript is named after the Augsburg humanist Konrad Peutinger and is preserved in the Austrian National Library in Vienna.
help Peutinger Table (Tabula Peutingeriana) FAQ
Why does the Peutinger Table look so stretched and geographically inaccurate?
It is a route diagram, not a map designed to preserve geographic shape or scale. The long, narrow format expands the Roman road network horizontally so settlements, stopping places, and travel distances can be displayed.
Is the surviving Peutinger Table an original Roman map?
No. The surviving parchment is a medieval copy, generally dated around the late 12th or early 13th century, derived through earlier copies from a map of the Roman world.
How large is the Tabula Peutingeriana?
The surviving map is about 6.75 metres long but only around 34 centimetres high. It consists of 11 surviving parchment sections, with an original western section believed to be missing.
Where is the Peutinger Table kept, and can the original be viewed?
It is held by the Austrian National Library in Vienna. Because the parchment is fragile and unusually long, reproductions and digital images are generally easier to study than the original.
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