The Bible Atlas

Topographical maps in the second release of the Accordance Bible Atlas are based on satellite altitude data with a resolution of about 90 meters. To save space, the resolution actually available in the map varies depending on the location. For example: Resolution is higher in the land of Israel and lower in desert areas. Satellite maps with photographs of present day features are not currently available with the Atlas.

The map projection is a cylindrical projection in which the kilometer scales of latitude and longitude are equal at 32° latitude. The coordinates of the point under the cursor are displayed in the Instant Details. In addition, this box displays the coordinates for Israel developed at the time of the British Palestinian Mandate, which approximately covers the area of the Mandate.

Data on sites, regions, and routes, was compiled by Greg Ward for OakTree Software, Inc. from a variety of scholarly sources. Since some scholars disagree on the details, editorial judgment was often combined with examination of the Biblical references and scholarly sources, in order to reach a decision. The data is intended purely as a guide, and certainly not as an authoritative source in itself. Please inform OakTree of any errors you find in the data, so they can be corrected in the future.

The rivers and lakes were based upon various atlases and maps, guided by the topography.

All known, and some conjectured, sites in the area of Palestine and Israel were included, together with sites of Biblical or major historical importance in the other areas covered by the Atlas. The Atlas does not, therefore, attempt to include every known archaeological site in Italy, Greece, Asia Minor, Egypt, Syria, etc. Places mentioned in the Bible which have not been identified even tentatively by scholars, were omitted.

Each site was researched to determine where it is mentioned in the Bible (the Biblical periods), and in which archaeological periods it is thought to have been occupied. This information is the basis for the selection of sites in the Site Layers.

The Biblical periods include ten ranges of books—seven covering the Hebrew Bible (the book order is that of the English Bible), two for the New Testament, and one for the Apocrypha and additional periods for "Other Ancient" and "Modern" sites.

The Archaeological periods include twelve definitions for the periods covering the Biblical writings.

• Chalcolithic: The period of human civilization when metals such as copper were beaten into shape like stone.
• Bronze Age: The period of human civilization characterized by the use of weapons and implements of bronze.
• Iron Age: The period of human civilization characterized by the use of weapons and implements of iron.
• Prehistoric: The period of human civilization prior to recorded history (Chalcolithic).
• Precanaanite: The period prior to the settlement of Palestine by the Canaanites (Early Bronze).
• Canaanite: The period in which Palestine was occupied by the Canaanites (Middle Bronze).
• Conquest: The period in which the Israelites wrested control of Palestine from the Canaanites (Late Bronze).
• Judges: The period in which Israel was a confederacy of tribes led by various "judges" (Iron I).
• Monarchy: The period beginning with the reign of Saul and ending with the reign of Solomon (Iron II).
• Divided Kingdom A: The period in which the Northern and Southern kingdoms were both independent sovereign states (Iron II).
• Divided Kingdom B: The period after the fall of the Northern kingdom and before the fall of the Southern kingdom (Iron II).
• Persian: The period of Ancient Near Eastern history when the Persian empire was the dominant force in the region.
• Hellenistic: The period between the death of Alexander and the accession of Augustus in which Greek language and culture spread throughout the Ancient Near East.
• Herodian: The period beginning with the rise of Herod the Great and ending with the Fall of Jerusalem.
• Roman & Byzantine: The period when the Ancient Near East was ruled by the Roman and Byzantine empires.

An additional Importance rating from 1 to 5 was assigned to each site, with 1 being least and 5 being most important. The Importance rating affects whether or not a site appears in a specific layer, and the size and map magnification at which it appears. The rating was essential to reduce congestion of site names. With over 800 sites in the area of Israel alone, it was impossible to display them all together, or even just display them by the Biblical or archaeological periods.

Many names on the Sites» list are followed by additional information which is usually omitted from the map display for clarity.

• Square brackets indicate alternative names or spellings for the site.
• Parentheses contain further location information to distinguish between sites with similar names.
• Words after a comma are part of the name itself.
• A question mark indicates uncertainty in the identification of the site.

The Go to: in the Find dialog box does not find these additional words, you can just use them to help pick the sites you want.

The Listing of Atlas Sites tool lets you examine the actual data used in the Atlas. This module Any Bible text, or other single tool that can be read in Accordance, including reference texts and articles; may also be referred to as content or resource lets you find and select the sites by a combination of any of the data, such as bronze <AND> iron <AND> prophets <AND> (4<OR>5). The previous examplefinds all sites occupied during both the bronze and iron periods, mentioned in the Prophets, and of importance 4 or 5.

The Dictionary of Place Names currently includes articles on all Biblical sites of Importance 3 through 5, as well as many region names. The Bible Lands PhotoGuide (available separately) is an expanded and illustrated version of the Place Names.