Abraham Ortelius (1527-1598) was a Brabantian cartographer and geographer, conventially known as the creator of the first modern atlas, the 'Theatrum Orbis Terrarum' (Theatre of the World). He was one of the most notable figures in the Dutch school of cartography during their golden age (roughly 1570s-1670s), his publishing of his atlas in 1570 being seen as its official beginning.