Usage conditions may apply for digital images, video, and sound recordings linked within SOVA collections. While digital content may be restricted, SOVA collection descriptions and catalog records are available CC0 for re-use. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
National Anthropological Archives
Guide to Reproduction of Madaba mosaic map
Summary
- Collection ID:
- NAA.MS281099
- Creators:
-
Unknown
- Dates:
-
before 1899
- Languages:
-
Greek, Ancient (to 1453).
- Physical Description:
-
1 Mapcolored linen paper71.25 x 29.5 inches
- Repository:
- Container:
- 281099
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of a color reproduction on linen of the Madaba mosaic map, made prior to 1899. The map was displayed for many years in Old World Archaeology Hall, United States National Museum.
Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or National Anthropological Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.
Historical Note
Historical Note
The Madaba mosaic map is part of a floor mosaic in the early Byzantine church of Saint George in Madaba, Jordan. The map depicts part of the Middle East and contains the oldest surviving original cartographic depiction of the Holy Land and especially Jerusalem. It dates to the sixth century CE and was rediscovered in 1884 during the construction of a new Greek Orthodox church.
Administration
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of S.W. Woodward to the United States National Museum, January 12, 1914. Woodward acquired the map from a bookdealer in Jerusalem in 1899. The map was transferred from the object collections of the Department of Anthropology to the National Anthropological Archives in 1976.
Using the Collection
Conditions Governing Use
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Preferred Citation
Reproduction of Madaba mosaic map (MS 281099), National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
More Information
Publication Note
Publication Note
The map is disccused in detail in I.M. Casanowicz, "Collections of Old World Archeology in the U.S. National Museum," Smithsonian Annual Report, 1922, pages 451-52 and "A Colored Drawing of the Medeba Mosaic Map of Palestine in the U. S. National Museum," Proceedings of the U. S. National Museum, volume 49, pages 359-76, 1916.
Variant Title
Variant Title
Map of Palestine of Byzantine period with emphasis on places of Biblical importance
Medeba mosaic map
Keywords
| Keyword Terms | Keyword Types | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Maps | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Works of art | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Middle East | Geographic | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Archaeology | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Madaba map | Title | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Jordan | Geographic | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
National Anthropological Archives
Museum Support Center
4210 Silver Hill Road
Suitland, Maryland 20746
Business Number: Phone: 301.238.1300
Fax Number: Fax: 301.238.2883
naa@si.edu
