Paratexts in sixteenth-century editions and translations of Maciej z Miechowa’s Tractatus de duabus Sarmatiis

Abstract

In 1517 the Cracovian scholar Maciej z Miechowa published Tractatus de duabus Sarmatiis, the first work in Renaissance geography which offered detailed information about Sarmatia, the region between the Vistula and the Caspian Sea. Published in several Latin editions, the treatise initiated the humanists’ scientific exchange of geographical knowledge about Eastern Europe. Moreover, translations in German, Polish, Dutch and Italian appeared, also addressing a non-scholarly readership. Although the literature on Maciej z Miechowa notes that the Tractatus has been broadly disseminated, its translations have been understudied. This is the purpose of the present chapter, which also highlights how the various translations of the Tractatus have led to significant modifications regarding the source text and its paratexts.