How mapping reflected the worldviews of the ancient Levant and its neighbours
Swart, Elanij Chantal
Maps and worldviews are so intertwined that a study of ancient maps would not be complete
without equal focus being on worldviews. The need for maps has been with humanity since
antiquity, but not all of these maps have survived the millennia since they were created. The
ancient Levant is especially problematic for a study of ancient cartography since physical maps
are absent from the archaeological finds thus far. For this reason, the discussion on mapping in
the ancient Levant will make use of ‘verbal maps’ as internal sources in conjunction with the‘verbal’ and physical maps of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. ‘Verbal maps’ include written
and inscribed geographic accounts of journeys and military campaigns across the ancient Near
East.
↧