Jerusalem in A.D 70 c Note the locations of the Temple area, Herod’s palace, Pool of Bethesda, and Gordon’s Calvary (traditional site of Jesus’ cruci xion) Study the accompanying ground plan and drawing of Herod’s Temple B TOPOGRAPHY One of the best ways to recall the locations of New Testament cities is to picture the physical features of the land where they are located This also helps you understand why a city originated where it did, and why journeys followed certain routes Study the general features of Palestine as shown on Map H The natural contours of the land run north-south As you move from west to east on the map, you will observe six major kinds of contour Observe the following about each of these This follows the coast up to the promontory of Mount Carmel Relatively few cities were located here during Bible times, partly because of the absence of navigable harbors COASTAL PLAIN (also called Lowlands) Here the terrain begins to ascend from the low coastal plain Many cities sprang up here, in part because of the semifertile soil SHEFELAH (also called Judean Hills, and Cis-Jordan Hills) The average elevation of these is two thousand feet Draw on the map a slightly sweeping curve from Mt Carmel to Jerusalem This north-south ridge bisects the lands of Samaria and Judea The ridge becomes prominent again north of Galilee, after the break at the Plain of HILL COUNTRY Esdraelon, just southwest of the Sea of Galilee The two major north-south travel routes were along the CisJordan Range and the Jordan Valley Most of the cities of Christ’s ministry lie along the Judean Hills and around the Sea of Galilee Many cities were built along this ridge, especially because of the natural fortifications that were needed in Old Testament times MAP H This is the most consistent feature of the north-south contour Its average width is about ten miles For the entire length of Palestine, the depression is below the level of the Great Sea (Mediterranean) Follow this depression from north to south on Map RIFT VALLEY ... north of Galilee, after the break at the Plain of HILL COUNTRY Esdraelon, just southwest of the Sea of Galilee The two major north-south travel routes were along the CisJordan Range and the Jordan...Observe the following about each of these This follows the coast up to the promontory of Mount Carmel Relatively few cities were located here during Bible times, partly because of the absence of navigable... in Old Testament times MAP H This is the most consistent feature of the north-south contour Its average width is about ten miles For the entire length of Palestine, the depression is below the