The 6th century B.C. Babylonian clay tablet in the British Museum, the oldest surviving map of the world, illustrates the concept of geography and mythology intertwined.
Encircled by a ring labeled the Bitter River, the map indicates that it represented the known world according to Babylonian cosmology, showcasing cities like Babylon and Assyria.
British Museum scholars, challenged by missing parts of the tablet, have worked diligently since its discovery in 1882, making significant progress with the help of finds like Edith Horsley's fragment.
The reverse of the tablet details eight 'nagu' regions, shaped like triangles, possibly symbolizing mountains that formed after the Great Flood, merging geography with Babylonian creation myth.
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