• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / How did the Atlas get its name and Where does the word Atlas come from?

How did the Atlas get its name and Where does the word Atlas come from?

May 22, 2020 by Karen Hill

Greek mythology tells us of a terrific struggle between the gods and the rebellious Titans, a race of giants, led by the powerful Atlas.

When defeated, Atlas was compelled in punishment to bear the heavens upon his shoulders through all eternity.

Ancient artists pictured him as supporting an enormous globe, and a copy of such a picture was used in the sixteenth century by the Flemish geographer Mercator as a frontispiece to his collection of maps.

Through his and the subsequent use of some such picture, any volume of maps came to be known by the name of the mythical Greek hero.

Related Facts

  • Where did maps come from and Who made the first accurate map of the world?
  • Where does the word “atlas” come from and What does it mean?
  • Who Were the First Explorers of Ancient Civilization?
  • Why Is a Book of Maps Called an Atlas?
  • 15 Inventions You Wish You Invented
  • Top 25 Inventions That Changed the World

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Where does the term “Dovetail” come from and What does Dovetail mean?
Next Post: Where does the word “Solfeggio” come from and What does Solfeggio mean in Italian? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy