Topographical and Geographical Terms in Arabic (and English
This map presents the place names of western Palestine in Arabic and explains their meaning in a key on the side. It also marks the location of Arabic villages, churches and mosques. It is a notable that this map is included to the Palestine Exploration Fund Survey because it acknowledges the development of an indigenous culture in the region since the time of the new testament.
The New Testament seems to color the surveyors' interaction with the land in the remainder of the collection so I hope to study the ways that it has seeped into this map as well. Notably, unlike the other maps in the survey, this map appears less technologically advanced and does not include topography lines. It might be less useful as an orienting tool for the military and might instead represent the academic interests behind the survey.
The region of Ottoman-era Palestine west of the Jordan River
Western Palestine Illustrating The Old Testament, The Apocrypha and Josephus.
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.
Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund
1880
Kitchener, H.R. (Horatio Herbert)
English
Composite Map
The region of Ottoman-era Palestine west of the Jordan River
Karta radiat︠s︡ionnoĭ obstanovki na territorii evropeĭskoĭ chasti SSSR po sostoi︠a︡nii︠u︡ na dekabrʹ 1990 goda : plotnostʹ zagri︠a︡znenii︠a︡ mestnosti t︠s︡eziem-137 : masshtab 1:500 000
This key refers to other maps that depict the extent of contamination from the Chernobyl disaster. Interestingly, it indicates that maps of Cesium-137 distribution were much more detailed than those of Strontium-90 from the same month and year; while only four maps were used to represent the contaminated territory, this document suggests that many more were produced to cover the same area for the Cesium maps.
While it does not itself provide this information, it points to two important things: first, the state of published knowledge about contamination from the accident at a pivotal historical moment; and second the extent of relevant territory for those who made the maps. While I have not (yet) located the other maps, this document serves as a baseline for further research.
GUGK USSR
GUGK SSSR
1991