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1770 Delisle de Sales Map of the Ancient Nation of Assyria (Iran, Iraq)
Assyria-sales-1770$112.50
Title
Carte de l'Assyrie Pour servir a l'Histoire des trois Monarchiea de Ninive, de Babylone et d'Ecbatane.
1770 (undated) 9 x 14.5 in (22.86 x 36.83 cm)
1770 (undated) 9 x 14.5 in (22.86 x 36.83 cm)
Description
This is a beautiful example of the 1770 Jean-Baptiste-Claude Delisle de Sales' map of ancient Assyria. Essentially a map of the entire Middle East and Persia, this map covers from the Black Sea to the Gulf of Oman and from the Mediterranean Sea east as far as the western part of India. This area includes the modern day countries of Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Israel, and part of Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The map was drawn to illustrate the history of the three Assyrian monarchies of Nineveh, Babylon and Ecbatana. Several important towns, rivers, mountains and other topographical elements are beautifully rendered. This map was issued as part of Delisle de Sales' Histoire des hommes. Partie de l'Histoire Ancienne. Becasue most of Sales' work was burnt under the censorship of heresy, this volume is exceedingly rare.
Cartographer
Jean-Baptiste-Claude Delisle de Sales or Jean-Baptiste Isoard de Lisle (1741–1816) was a French philosopher, historian, and accused heretic active in the late 18th century. Sales is best known for his publication of the multi-volume opus The Philosophy of Nature: Treatise on Human Moral Nature. The work, among other ideas, challenged the Biblical theory that the earth was created in 4004 BC. Instead, Sales put forth the theory based upon astronomical observations, that the earth was 140,000 years old. Sales' revolutionary ideas caused him to be declared a heretic by the Catholic Church. His publications were subsequently censored and, for the most part, destroyed. As a consequence all of his works are today extremely rare. Sales was also, notably, a close friend of Voltaire who in 1777 visited him in prison, gifting him 500 pounds towards his release. Delisle de Sales is unrelated to the more famous De L'Isle family of cartographers. More by this mapmaker...
Source
Delisle de Sales, Histoire des Hommes. Partie de l'Histoire Ancienne (Paris) 1770.
Condition
Very good. Original platemark visible. Minor wear along original folds. Blank on verso.