Nelson Glueck (1900-1971) was an American rabbi, academic, and archaeologist who made significant contributions to biblical archaeology. He discovered more than 1,500 ancient sites in Israel, Palestine, and Jordan, his work inspired generations of scholars and explorers.
Published in 1959, Rivers in the Desert describes the rise and fall of ancient civilizations in Israel's Negev region.
We are taken through the Negev's history, from the Judean kings who first settled the area, to the Nabatean Arabs who built Petra, the Romans who constructed fortresses along the Spice Route, the Byzantines who left behind mosaics and monasteries, and finally the Muslim conquests of the 7th century.
The Negev, meaning "dry land" or "Southland" in Hebrew, comprises the arid southern half of Israel. This vital land bridge connects Africa and Asia, providing an alternate route between the Mediterranean and Red Seas. Control of the Negev enabled ancient civilizations to forge trade networks and military supply lines between East and West. Glueck shows how this harsh yet strategic desert has been a crossroads of cultures for millennia.
A blank space on a historical map is a constant challenge to the explorer and archaeologist. Its emptiness disturbs him. What role, if any, did it play in the development of civilization? Where and when did its ancient inhabitants live? Was its soil rich or poor, its water plentiful or lacking, its minerals abundant or unknown, its landscape attractive or forbidding, its geographical position of great or indifferent importance?
It’s important to note that Glueck was a rabbi and the book is as much a religious pilgrimage as it is a historical study.
The geographical position of the Negev has always made it part of a passageway between continents. Its truest importance, however, transcends its location, physical nature and boundaries. This is no ordinary land of broken plains and naked ranges and scanty water. God walked abroad in it and divine purpose was made manifest there of old. It has always been, together with Sinai, a sanctuary of revelation and reformation, with the spirit of the Holy pervading the very atmosphere.
The maps
Sadly, no cartographer is listed for the maps.
Photos from the book
I have another Substack, with my notes from a week, take a look if you want.
Excellent! I always learn something new. And surprising. When I took a closer look at Negev, I found a hidden lake that is less hidden than its name suggests. The Hidden Lake Timna:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Hidden+Lake+Timna/@29.76572,35.0013192,15z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x1500430ebc7a36c3:0x5abdfd0762b7da16!8m2!3d29.76572!4d35.0013192!16s%2Fg%2F11cntlbrhz?entry=ttu It seems lika a place to visit.