1803 J Blair Map of Ancient Israel 12 Tribes c. 1000-900 BCE Levitical Cities

Description: Palaestinae sive Terrae Promissionis in duodecim Tribus Partitae Facies Vetus drawn by J. Bayly, from John Blair’s, “The Chronology and History of the World,” published in London, 1803. Large format copper engraved map on heavy watermarked paper, uncolored as issued, with plate mark and wide margins. Latin text. Map size: 16 1/2 x 22 1/4 inches (neatlines) on sheet 18 3/8 x 26 1/8 inches. Scale not given. Undated but drawn circa late-1700s and printed in 1803. Condition: Faint age toning overall with two vertical fold lines, as made, for containing the map inside the book (earlier printings of the map were bound into the book using a glued stub resulting in a centerfold, often with an attendant toning band associated with aging of the glue. This example was bound in at the left edge without glue thus no toning band). A toning spot is noted in the top right corner margin and there are a couple of stray ink spots remnant from the printing process. For accuracy, a tiny hole is found just above the city of Gazer in the Tribe of Ephraim. A nice, clean example of this interesting map based on a late 18th century understanding of biblical history and geography. The map shows the land of Canaan during ancient times divided into geographic boundaries occupied by the 12 tribes of Israel (Simeon, Judah, Benjamin, Dan, Reuben, Ephraim, Gad, Manasseh [divided into two halves], Issachar, Zebulun, Asher, and Naphtali), and adjoining and nearby kingdoms and regions (Kingdoms of Moab, Ammon and Edom, Philistine states, Syria, etc.). As such, the map focuses on the golden age of ancient Israel during the reigns of King David and Solomon (c. 1000 to 900 BCE). Shown are mountain ranges, rivers, lakes, and innumerable cities, villages, and other place names, which lend a dense and rich depiction to the Holy Land. Royal cities are identified using a crown symbol, with the Levitical and refugee cities identified with other special symbols (see Joshua 21 for a listing of city names). Places not found in scripture are identified by special underlining. The legend provides color boxes for illustrating the Kingdoms of Judah and Israel; however, no copies I know of have original coloring for these features. Presumably, the tribe of Simeon would be part of the Kingdom of Judah, in addition to Judah and Benjamin, for coloring purposes, although opinions may differ. Copies with modern hand coloring tend to focus on boundaries of tribal and kingdom areas but the map could be enriched with coloring for the two kingdoms, as intended by Blair, and spot coloring of cities by type. In addition to testing and expanding your biblical knowledge, this map provides an opportunity to sharpen your Latin skills, an easy task when using Google translate! Any coloring, of course, should be performed by a professional – personally, I prefer to leave antique maps as made. First published in 1754, John Blair’s “Chronology” was a popular resource for dating and summarizing important historical events from biblical, classical and modern (to date of publication) sources. It is important to remember that, prior to and including the early Enlightenment, study of classical antiquity and “dead languages” were a foundational part of an advanced education in Western Civilization, as science, engineering, mathematics, etc. were yet to evolve. His “Chronology” went through many editions well into the 19th century with maps added in the 1768 and later editions to help illustrate lands covered by the work, both ancient and modern. Through the years, most maps show little or no revision between the various editions, especially the ancient maps, but modest revisions were made to the modern maps, particularly in light of major discoveries and political change, as reflected in the map of North America after the American Revolution, and world hemispheres map after the last global voyage of Captain Cook.

Price: 195 USD

Location: Denver, Colorado

End Time: 2025-01-17T00:41:11.000Z

Shipping Cost: 10 USD