Maps of the 1 st Century World

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The political map of the world is always changing. Even in our relatively stable time political maps are remade every few years. During the period from the 18th to 19 th centuries, European forces colonialised many nations across the world and changed the political maps across the world significantly, adding new countries and boundaries in Africa , Mid-East, and the East. During the 20th century, however, those forceful conquerors had had enough of power plays and pillaging and left most of those lands to return to Europe , again redrawing political maps. During the 19 th century, the First World War (1914) changed the map of Europe significantly, and the Second World War (1945) tried to redraw it again. The Mid-East map is constantly changed. New countries are founded ( Israel , Pakistan ) and old countries are surfacing again ( Tajikistan , Kyrgyzstan , etc.).

World politics in the 1 st century was hardly different. Western culture was Hellenistic, and Greek (along with Aramaic) was the foremost world language but the Latin Romans had already usurped the Greek empire. Western political maps were in a constant flux as the Roman Empire settled in. By the 4 th century, the writing was on the wall that the Roman Empire would split in two, East and West. During the same period, the Mid East was going through its own motions as the Old Persian Empire shuffled rulers, gained control of areas, and lost others. The Yueh-chi tribes moved from Turkey and China into North Western India and changed the area into a melting pot of philosophy, religion and culture as the Kushan (Yueh-chi in Chinese) Empire and era came into being. India itself was a collection of monarchical provinces, the borders of which moved constantly.

Any political map of 1 st century Arachosia, Kushana, Kashmir , Gandhara, and Deccan will be an educated guess at best. We can only attempt to retrace the political maps from inferences made from historical writers and ancient travelogues. Surviving ancient maps were not very accurate but do help a little. Many important languages used during the time are still unknown to us (Bactrian, Kharoshti, etc.) and we can only guess at the meaning of phrases on rock inscriptions, tombs, and art.

The 1 st century maps that follow show the most important place names, country names, and the routes travelled by The Saviour Yesu our Lord, St. Magadhalene, and St. Thomas.

Some notes regarding the maps:

•  The area indicated as Bactria was larger than suggested by the map HOWEVER, Bactria ceased to exist by the end of the 1 st century BCE. This is somewhat like talking about Rhodesia thirty years after its name changed to Zimbabwe because of political changes. Bactria was established after Alexander's conquest of the area (4 th century BCE) and was ruled by Greek generals and vassal kings (or satrapy). It was conquered by the Yueh Chi (Kushan) late in the 1st century BCE and incorporated into their Kushan Empire. The Kushan kings initially adopted Bactrian language and incorporated elements from its Hellenistic culture. The Yueh Chi did not always replace conquered kings but, like Alexander, often retained ruler under their patronage, acting as vassals to the Kushan Empire. Therefore, although Bactria ended late in the 1 st BCE its influence on the Kushan Empire was significant.

•  Some of the Indo-Parthian kings who were probably vassals to the Kushan Empire were: Gondophares who ruled the Kashmir area, Gondophares' brother Gad who acted on his behalf in the rich province of Arachosia , Abdagases the nephew of Gondophares who probably ruled Arachosia.

•  Aramaic was the other world language (besides Greek) and was the first language of choice from Damascus to Srinagar . However, the Greek language remained as important as English is today. Some interesting facts to remember in this regard: Hebrew was not an active (live) language and the first version of the Jewish Scriptures (Christians call it the Old Testament, which the Lord reformed) was written in Greek, by command of the Zoroastrian king Cyrus the Great (referred to as Messiah by the OT) in the 4 th century BC. Yesu and many of His disciples were bilingual, as most people, and were well versed both in Greek and in Aramaic. Aramaic played a major role in formation of Sanskrit. Three important Prakrit languages (early, local languages of the time) of the early Kushana era were Brahmi, Kharoshti, and Pali. It seems likely that Acts of Yesu was first written in Kharoshti and later translated to Aramaic and Sanskrit.

•  The trip, by ship, from Characene in the Erythrian Sea ( Persian Gulf ) to Bombay took less than a month, depending on the monsoon winds and currents. During peak season, it could take as little as 20 days.

•  The trip from Sakala over the Himalayas to Khotan, via Srinagar and Leh, lasted ninety days by pack animal (depending on season). Silk moved south and spices and art moved north on this difficult route.

•  Trade from Alexandria to Rangoon was common during the 1 st century already. Goods were transported over land from Alexandria to the first port city on the Egyptian coast on the Red Sea . This was almost two thousand years before the Zeus canal connected the Red Sea with the Mediterranean Sea .

•  By the end of the 1 st century, Roman historians record (Pliny et al) more than forty ships travel between India and Western harbours every month.

•  Purple spots mark the area where the first devotional communities built temples before the end of the 1 st century. The sites of 1st century common (public) shrines are not marked because there are too many.

MAP 1 - Routes known to have been travelled by our Lord

MAP 2 Routes used by St. Magadhalene

MAP 3 Routes used by St. Thomas

MAP 4 The spread of Church of the East by the end of the 3rd century

MAP 5 The spread of Church of the East by the end of the 5th century

Provisional END

This is the provisional end of the primer text for HISTORY 001. An additional Tutorial Module and Knowledge Tests for this course, and high quality versions of maps, are available through your diocese or online at www.wayism.net

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