Alexandria's founded by Alexander

Alexandria's founded by Alexander the Great (by year BC): 334 Alexandria in Troia (Turkey) - 333 Alexandria at Issus/Alexandrette (Iskenderun, Turkey) - 332 Alexandria of Caria/by the Latmos (Alinda, Turkey) - 331 Alexandria Mygdoniae - 331 Alexandria (Egypt) - 330 Alexandria Ariana (Herat, Afghanistan) - 330 Alexandria of the Prophthasia/in Dragiana/Phrada (Farah, Afghanistan) - 330 Alexandria in Arachosia (Kandahar, Afghanistan) - 330 Alexandria in the Caucasus (Begram, Afghanistan) - 329 Alexandria of the Paropanisades (Ghazni, Afghanistan) - 329 Alexandria Eschate or Ultima (Khodjend, Tajikistan) - 329 Alexandria on the Oxus (Termez, Afghanistan) - 328 Alexandria in Margiana (Merv, Turkmenistan) - 326 Alexandria Nicaea (on the Hydaspes, India) - 326 Alexandria Bucephala (on the Hydaspes, India) - 325 Alexandria Sogdia - 325 Alexandria Oreitide - 325 Alexandria in Opiene / Alexandria on the Indus (confluence of Indus & Acesines, India) - 325 Alexandria Rambacia (Bela, Pakistan) - 325 Alexandria Xylinepolis (Patala, India) - 325 Alexandria in Carminia (Gulashkird, Iran) - 324 Alexandria-on-the-Tigris/Antiochia-in-Susiana/Charax (Spasinou Charax on the Tigris, Iraq) - ?Alexandria of Carmahle? (Kahnu)

Saturday, August 31, 2013

Oldest map in the world?

It was so exciting to find this information on Judith Weingarten’s weblog. She always does an excellent job digging out the unthinkable and/or the unexpected. This time she got my undivided attention with her latest article about what is probably the world’s oldest topographical map found in Egypt.
Fragment of Turin map.  Photo credit: J. Harrell (via Wikipedia)

This map, which is drawn on a 2m80 long papyrus dates back to 1150 BC and seems to be made by a certain Amennakhte, a scribe who was preparing a quarrying expedition into Egypt’s Eastern Desert. It covers an area of 15 kilometers with the exact location of the quarry from which a grayish-green stone was extracted. In the same area, we can find a gold mine, a small settlement and a temple dedicated to Amon. What makes this map so special is the labeling of the roads and the indication of the distances from one site to the other.

If you want to investigate further on this captivating subject, please click on Judith Weingarten’s weblog for she gives you lots and lots of extra reading material about Egypt’s link with the Red Sea and the harbor of Punt that was only recently located thanks to the wall carvings found in Queen Hatshepsut’s tomb.
A thorough story, as she always manages to tell us. Thank you, Judith!

PS. I can’t help wondering what kind of maps Alexander the Great may have had and used during for campaigns …

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