This map layer depicts Western Palestine at the time of the Old Testament. It sources its information primarily in the book of Joshua which chronicles the Israelites conquering and settling the Holy Land. However, there are additional place names, not mentioned in the Old Testament, that extracted from Josephus’s commentary. Potentially, the author also used Josephus’s text as a lense onto the Old Testament. Joesphus’s commentary on the Old Testament was famously translated by English Theologian William Whiston in the early 18th century and it itself included some maps.
There is some ambiguity as to the exact time period this map aims to depict. The key explains symbolism for biblical events that are centuries apart, for example delineating the arrangement of governances during the reign of King Solomon and also tinting and coloration to indicate the tribal territories which were captured in the Assyrian and Babylonian Captivity. Another focus of the map, holy places and stations (for sacrificial worship) are marked through symbols and color.
Because the Palestine Exploration Fund sponsored a survey limited to western Palestine, the map is limited in scope and is only able to include six of the tribal allotments represented in the Old Testament. This suggests that reconstructing the holy land of the Old Testament was not the primary goal of the survey.
It is important to note that the cartographer’s depiction of the land allotments to each of the twelve Judean tribes and also various Kohanite and Levite cities was not the first of its kind and indeed follows a classical style that can be traced back to the middle ages. However, this map layer is unique for its merging of religious historical heritage with cutting edge topographic and demographic data.
There is some ambiguity as to the exact time period this map aims to depict. The key explains symbolism for biblical events that are centuries apart, for example delineating the arrangement of governances during the reign of King Solomon and also tinting and coloration to indicate the tribal territories which were captured in the Assyrian and Babylonian Captivity. Another focus of the map, holy places and stations (for sacrificial worship) are marked through symbols and color.
Because the Palestine Exploration Fund sponsored a survey limited to western Palestine, the map is limited in scope and is only able to include six of the tribal allotments represented in the Old Testament. This suggests that reconstructing the holy land of the Old Testament was not the primary goal of the survey.
It is important to note that the cartographer’s depiction of the land allotments to each of the twelve Judean tribes and also various Kohanite and Levite cities was not the first of its kind and indeed follows a classical style that can be traced back to the middle ages. Nevertheless,
However, this map layer is unique for its merging of religious historical heritage with cutting edge topographic and demographic data.