Egypte, Syrie, Phenicie et Asie Mineure

Description

This map is part of the Atlas Classique de la Geographie Ancienne, du Moyen Age et Moderne, an atlas prepared by Charles V. Monin and published in 1839. Monin, a leading French cartographer of the 19th century and a member of the "Societe de Geographie," prepared this atlas with scientific accuracy, particularly for students studying geography and history. The map is notable for its hand-colored borders, typical of the academic atlas tradition of the time, and possesses both an educational and didactic quality as well as an artistic one. The map covers the Eastern Mediterranean in a broad context, stretching from the Nile Valley to Anatolia, from the Levant coast to Sinai and the surrounding deserts. It aims to "teach" classical geography by combining ancient region names and historical settlements with a modern map layout. The topography is rendered in a manner characteristic of 19th-century atlas cartography, using hachure (hatching) and shading to create a relief effect. The coastline, rivers, and settlement network are clearly defined by fine and disciplined etching lines. The hand-coloring of the map's borders during its time is a teaching technique that visually highlights regional divisions. Furthermore, the scale information, which refers to ancient units of measurement (e.g., stade/parasang, etc.), facilitates the establishment of a relationship between textual reading and geographical distance. Therefore, this map is an atlas of both scientific and aesthetic merit, reconstructing the ancient historical and geographical knowledge central to classical education in 19th-century Europe through a modern cartographic language.