Bob,
If Pliny used a Roman source (and i have no doubt), then it was a military
report that describes the central section of ancient army route
Damascus-Petra, here: Paneion army crossing-Daphne near Antiocheia (sounds
familiar!) in the Semechonitis-Asor ["a meridie" (<seen> to the south) is
Tarichea; "ab oriente" (from the east) are Iulias and Hippo and "ab
occidente" (from the west) is Tiberias]-Philoteria-Skythopolis crossing. But
instead to follow the route Jordan crossing near Jericho-
Philadelpheia-Petra, the source remains on the western side of the Jordan
and follows the by-road to the standard army route like Pompey in the
Nabatean campaign 63 BC, ie Skythopolis crossing-Alexandreion-Jordan
crossing near Jericho. Now the source leaves the parallel army route and
enters the Jordan flats and faces the northern shore of the Dead Sea ["ab
oriente" (from the east) nomad Arabia, ie `arabah of Peraia]. Now it takes a
look to the south [and - quite correct - "a meridie" there is Machaerus and
Callirhoe, logically "ab occidente" (from the west) the "Esseni", "infra
hos" [below them] is Engada, "inde" [from there] Masada.
It follows exact the mentioned military route plus an additional cavalry
trip to Masada and, thus, the course of the River Jordan incl. the Dea Sea.
I didn't say that somebody took a canoe to collect the material! Your
counter-clockwise orientation is, then, to be nullified.
Tot ziens.
Dierk
~`´~
( o o )
-oOOO--------OOOo-----
Cunctine adestis, liberi?
oooO Hic est Casparolus
( ) Oooo *g*
---\ (---( )-----------------
\_) ) /
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