AN N EA 10W Lecture 1: Jerusalem's Physical Geography
7/2/2018 OneNote Online
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Wk 1: Physical Geography
Tuesday, April 03, 2018 3:32 PM
Get Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths
Print and bring blank map of Jerusalem on Thursday
•Use New Revised Standard Version of Bible in
papers
Discussion questions
1. What are the physical advantages/disadvantages of Jerusalem's geography?
2. How did the ancient inhabitants of the city associate the geography with the sacred?
Physical geography
•"The center of the world"
○Intersection of three continents
○Intersection of desert and sea
•Winds from Mediterranean seen as benevolent, a blessing
•Winds from desert correlated with wrath, death
○Harbor between east and west (Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean)
•"Levant"- land bridge
•"The fertile crescent"
○Refers to the regions of the Near East home to the largest political and economic powers
○Contains Egypt, Assyria, Babylon
○Jerusalem sits in between the super-powers of the ANE
•Caught between the tides of political powers
○Inhabitants of Jerusalem often viewed themselves as living in an amphitheater in which they can watch international affairs take place
○2 Routes that connected Egypt and Mesopotamia
•Coastal Highway (Great Trunk Road)
•Ran 30mi west of Jerusalem
•King's Highway
•Runs through Jordan
•Runs 20mi east of Jerusalem
•Easy to involve Jerusalem in international affairs but also easy to leave Jerusalem out
•Jerusalem sits in the mountains (Judean Plateau), far away from 2 highways
•Economic disadvantage
•Topography of the southern Levant is divided in several zones
○No natural "center"
○Several mountainous areas suggest multiple "sacred" locations
○Jerusalem occupied regional (not topographical) position that gave it economic advantage
•In between coastal highway and jordan valley
•Sits on crest of watershed highway
•East of Jerusalem is called "the wilderness"
○A no-man's land
○Place of refuge, escape
○Place where one would encounter Satan
○Jerusalem sits between life and death (wilderness)
•Old city walls
○Network of fortification that surround the ancient city
○Built in the 16th century (AD, CE)
○Do not enclose the oldest part of the city (misnomer)
•Old City refers to the 4 quarters
Local topography
Valleys:
•Kidron valley to east
○Gives City of David and temple mount their definition on the east
○Separates Mount of Olives from Jerusalem
•Hinnom Valley to west
○Forms southern and western boundaries of Jerusalem
•Tyropoean valley in center
•Valleys serve as natural defenses; difficult to climb
○Most unprotected form the north
○Attackers approach from north generally
Routes (communication)
Water
•Gihon spring
○Natural cave located at the base of City of David
○Provides Jerusalem's main source of water through most of history
○Word "gihon" refers to one of the rivers that throw out of Garden of Eden (Genesis 2)
•Connects Jerusalem to notions of Eden or paradise
