8/17/2019 Babylonian Map of the World

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Babylonian Map of the WorldFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Babylonian map of the world, c. 500 BC.

The Babylonian Map of the World is a diagrammatic labeled depiction of the known world from theperspective of Babylonia. The map is incised on a clay tablet, showing Babylon somewhat to thenorth of its center!"# the clay tablet is damaged, and also contains a section of  c$neiform te%t.

&t is $s$ally dated to the 5th cent$ry BC.!'# &t was discovered at (ippar , so$thern &ra), *0 miles+- km north of Babylon on the east bank of the /$phrates iver , and p$blished in "1.!2# The claytablet resides at the British 3$se$m +B3 '*1-.!4#

&t is conect$red that the island locations, tho$gh possibly referring to real areas, may also representa mythological interpretation of the world. !5#

Carlo 6accagnini has arg$ed that the Babylonian map of the world may have lived on in the T and 7map of the /$ropean 3iddle 8ges.!*#

Contents

  !hide#

• "9escription of the mapped areas

•'(ee also

• 2eferences

• 4/%ternal links

Description of the mapped areas!edit#

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The Babylonian map of the world, from (ippar, 3esopotamia.

The map is circ$lar with two o$ter defined circles. C$neiform script labels all locations inside thecirc$lar map, as well as a few regions o$tside. The two o$ter circles represent water in between andis labelled as :;river; of ;bitter; water:, the salt sea.!5#

Babylon is in the center of the map parallel lines at the bottom seem to represent the southern

marshes, and a c$rved line coming from the north, northeast appear to represent the 6agros3o$ntains.!5#

There are seven small interior circles at the perimeter areas within the circle, and they appear torepresent seven cities.

(even triang$lar sections on the e%ternal circle +water perimeter represent named islands, b$t thedamaged clay tablet has lost the three islands on the tablet;s lower edge.

The three islands are named<

• island=:place of the rising s$n:

• island=:the s$n is hidden and nothing can be seen:

• island=:beyond the flight of birds: !5#

Objects on the Babylonian map of the world[7]

1. "Mountain" (!!adian #$%

du%&'. ")ity" (!!adian uru'

*. +rartu (!!adian &%ra%$#%

tu',. ssyria (!!adian !ur a#-#ur !i

'

. /er (!!adian d0r'. 2

7. 3wamp (!!adian ap% pa%

ru'4. 3usa (capital of 5lam'

(!!adian#u#a'6. )anal (!!adian bit%u'

18. Bit 9a!in (!!adian b t% ῑ 

ia% %!i%nu'᾿

11. ")ity" (!!adian uru'

1. :abban (!!adian ha%ab%

 ban'1*. Babylon (!!adian tin.tir !i'

; di<ided by 5uphrates

1, = 17. Ocean (saltwater; !!adian idmar%ra%tum'

14 = . Mytholo>ical objects