If you're interested in "map lore" then this announcement for the BPMaps mailing list may be of interest:
-------- Original Message -------- Subject: a very ancient GIS Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2004 20:32:52 +0200 From: "Israel \"izzy\" Cohen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Anthropomorphic (body-part) maps were generated by configuring the virtual body of a god or goddess over the area to be mapped. Areas under each part of that body received the name of that part. These maps equate geography with anatomy to produce place names that automatically indicate where they are located relative to other places on the same map. Examples of these maps include "Old Man" Napi (creator of the Blackfoot Indians) and his "Old Woman" wife in Alberta, Canada and north Montana; Hermes centered at Mt. Hermon (now on the Israeli-Syrian cease-fire line); and Aphrodite in north Africa. Place names on the Hermes and Aphrodite maps seem "Hebraic" but probably are Phoenician. They do provide a coherent explanation for the origin of names such as MiTZRaim, GoSHeN, eGYpT, SiNai (with a missing aleph), and why the Red Sea (Latin Mare Rubrum) is "red". You can join the BPMaps discussion group by pointing your browser to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BPMaps/join or by sending a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] This is a quiet group that currently has 94 members. First, view the databases and then browse the message archive. Help us find more maps of this type. Israel "izzy" Cohen, BPMaps moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BPMaps [EMAIL PROTECTED] --------------------------------------------------------------------- List hosting provided by Directions Magazine | www.directionsmag.com | To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message number: 11340
