1866 Vignes (1 results)

Good. Foxing present throughout. Dissected and laid on linen. Folds into original cover. Size 27.5 x 11.25 Inches. A scarce 1866 separate-issue folding map of the Dead Sea and the Jordan Rift Valley by Louis Vignes. It was the product of the Duc de Luynes's 1864 expedition to the Dead Sea, noted for its scientific discoveries, as well as the early photographs of the region taken by Vignes. A Closer Look Coverage extends from the Jordan River Valley roughly halfway between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea down through the Dead Sea and to the Gulf of Akabah (Aqaba), which links to the Red Sea. The progress of the expedition is traced in red, including on the sea itself, with camp locations and dates indicated. Placenames are assiduously noted, along with explanations and tables on elevation (soundings on the sea). The locations of Jacob's Well and Joseph's Tomb are observed outside Naplouse (Nablus) near top-left. Jerusalem, here as el Kods (al-Quds), sits due west of the northernmost portion of the Dead Sea. Other ancient cities are similarly noted with their Arabic names predominating, as with er Riha (Ariha, Jericho) and el Kulil (al-Khalil, Hebron). The Duc de Luynes's 1864 Expedition The 1864 expedition led by Honoré Théodoric d'Albert de Luynes took place in the wake of the groundbreaking surveys of the Holy Land undertaken by the Dutch cartographer Charles William Meredith van de Velde in 1851, published in 1858. The Duc de Luynes was a wealthy nobleman and statesman who devoted most of his time to archaeological and numismatic research, initially in southern Italy and then more broadly around the Mediterranean. This led him to organize and finance an expedition to Palestine, the Dead Sea, and Petra, which, aside from its intended archaeological purposes, gained important insights on the mineralogy and geology of the Dead Sea region. However, it became best known for Vignes' photographs, which were among the earliest of the Dead Sea and Jordan. The Jordan Rift Valley and the Dead Sea Aside from its historical importance for Abrahamic religions, the Jordan Rift Valley is also very significant in geological terms, as it reaches a deep depression, the lowest land elevation on Earth. As shown here, the shores of the Dead Sea sit at nearly 400 meters below sea level. The sea is also noted for its intense salinity, making it nearly impossible for animal or plant life to exist, the source of its name. This has led to remarkable and even unique deposits of minerals that have been prized since Antiquity. In recent years, the Dead Sea has seen significant recession as waters further north are diverted for civilian use; various proposals have been floated for replenishing the sea's waters, including a canal extending from the Gulf of Aqaba. Publication History and Census This map was drawn by Louis Vignes with assistance from 'Dr. Combe,' another member of the expedition, in 1864 and then prepared for publication in 1866. Vignes and Combe also produced a second, smaller map titled 'Carte du cours infe?rieur du Jourdain de la Mer Morte.' However, the published account of the expedition, Voyage d'exploration a? la Mer Morte, a? Petra, et sur la rive gauche du Jourdain , did not appear until 1875, eight years after Luynes's death. Only one other example of this map is independently cataloged in the OCLC, at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, while the entire Voyage d'exploration is more widely distributed. However, the present example is dissected, laid on linen, and folds into an accompanying cover, indicating that it was issued separately from, and perhaps prior to, Voyage d'exploration . References: OCLC 494974848.