Recorded: 

Curated Track: 

, 

Description:

In the aftermath of climate change and geopolitical conflict in the Middle East, it has become more important than ever to examine the physical and social push and pull factors that caused migration, adaptation, and technological innovations in and around the Holy Land.

The goal of this session is to discuss and map how the physical characteristics of the Holy Land forced technological, economic, and strategic innovations in transporting humans, animals, goods and services in and out of the Holy Land. Neighboring empires like Assyria had to confront environmental constraints like climate, water, and land while on a quest to conquer the Holy Land. Seasonal and episodic climate events forced Israel and Judah’s rival empires to devise select temporal patterns to mobilize militaries to avoid seasonal weather patterns like droughts, monsoons, etc. Hydrogeomorphological elements like river currents and bathymetry influenced nautical routes of prophets and apostles on theological missions. Knowledge of topography and landforms were vital in understanding how variations in elevation and terrain impacted the location and naming of holy sites like mountain tops. Transportation through valleys and around mountains improved the efficiency of shipping and the supply chain. Land cover directly influenced migration, settlement patterns, and the survival/morbidity of immigrants and emigrants like the Israelites in the deserts of Egypt.

We seek papers focusing on the following questions:
• How did natural/environmental constraints directly influence the outcomes of wars, migrations, agriculture, missions, and commerce?
• What were the impacts of climate, water, and land on rival empires’ transportation in and out of the Holy Land from an external perspective?
• What mapping techniques were used to analyze and illustrate the physical characteristics of the environment and their influence on the maritime and inland transportation systems?
• Case studies on empires/nations like Palestine, Egypt, Assyria, the Hittites, Babylon, Islamic or Arab, Persia, Greece, Rome, European colonization, and post-World War II development

From examinations of migration patterns, warfare, agricultural cultivations, and globalization in the Holy Land that has had and will have profound economic, social, political, and geostrategic implications for the Middle East, we also hope to gain insight into both the causes of migration and the impacts of migration on intra- and interstate infrastructure.

Non-Presenting Participants