Manasseh, ramus vaecundus, ramus vaecundus juxta fontem.

Title

Manasseh, ramus vaecundus, ramus vaecundus juxta fontem.

Description

The map shows the tribal territory of Manasseh in ancient Palestine, located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, featuring the cities of Caesarea, Jezreel, Samaria, etc., adorned with figurative staffage throughout the image. It further includes a title cartouche and a mileage scale cartouche. In the bottom left corner is the coat of arms and dedication of the sponsor William Parker ('To William Parker, citizen and draper of London, his most ready friend for all occasions, T[homas] F[uller] dedicates [this map of] Manasseh West of the Jordan.'). From 'A Pisgah-Sight of Palestine', engraved by John Goddard.

ca. 1650

Artist

Fuller Thomas (1608-1661)

Thomas Fuller (1608–1661) was a respected English clergyman who wrote several books on the history and geography of the Holy Land. His A Pisgah-Sight of Palestine, published in 1650 and again in 1662, was a geographical description of the Holy Land with special reference to biblical history. The maps were derived from the cartography of Christian van Adrichem (Adrichom), supplemented by Fuller's own wide reading. Fuller financed the book by dividing it into sections and finding sponsors for each one. To acknowledge the patrons, all maps contained decorative cartouches with the sponsor's coat of arms and a dedication to him. The delicate craftsmanship behind this vision was executed by John Goddard (documented as active in London between 1645 and 1671). Goddard was one of the most accomplished English copperplate engravers of the Baroque era, working as a specialized commission engraver for the discerning London book trade and scholarly authors. His works are distinguished by a remarkably dense, fine line execution in landscape details, as well as a masterful command of Baroque ornamentation. His elegant heraldic coats of arms and meticulously engraved banners render the maps in this volume highly sought-after masterpieces of 17th-century English graphic art.

Historical Description

The first archaeologically proven traces of an early or proto-Israelite settlement in the Mashrek region go back to the period between the 12th and 11th centuries BC. BC back. According to biblical tradition, Jerusalem was founded around 1000 BC. Conquered by David from the Jebusites and chosen as the capital of his great empire. The country subsequently became part of the Persian Empire, then the Empire of Alexander the Great, and finally the Empire of the Seleucids. The Maccabees revolt in 165 BC BC brought Israel once more state independence for about 100 years. 63 BC The time of Roman supremacy began. The Romans divided the area into two provinces: Syria in the north, Judea in the south. In the course of the Islamic expansion, the area came under Arab rule in 636. Since then, Palestine has been predominantly inhabited by Arabs. The crusaders ruled from 1099 to 1291 what they called the "Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem". This was followed by the Mamluks from 1291 to 1517 and then the Ottoman rule from 1517 to 1918. None of these authorities had planned their own administration for Palestine or viewed the area as an independent geographical unit. The region was also part of Syria for the Ottomans, probably going back to the Roman name Syria.