Israel - Jerusalem; Giovanni Battista Porta - Vera Hierosolymae Veteris Imago from BIBLIA GRAECA 1709 - 1701-1720

This item features a historic map engraving titled "Vera Hierosolymae Veteris Imago," created by Giovanni Battista Porta and included in the Biblia Graeca edition dating from 1701 to 1720. The map depicts Jerusalem, an ancient city of profound religious, cultural, and historical significance, regarded as a focal point of pilgrimages and a site sacred to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Giovanni Battista Porta, an Italian polymath known for his contributions to science and the arts during the late Renaissance, produced detailed representations that combined cartographic precision with artistic embellishment. The Biblia Graeca, or Greek Bible, was a critical scholarly work emphasizing biblical texts in their original languages and often accompanied by illustrations and maps to aid theological study and historical comprehension. This map provides insight into the early 18th-century European understanding and visualization of Jerusalem, reflecting both its biblical heritage and the era's cartographic style characterized by meticulous engraving and decorative elements. Such maps are valuable not only for their geographic information but also as artifacts illustrating the intersection of religion, scholarship, and early modern mapmaking.