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waters were about the same level as that of the Mediterranean Sea. With the diminishing rainfall and increased temperature that followed that period the effects of evaporation gradually surpassed the precipitation, and the waters of the lake slowly diminished to about the extent which they still display. The length of the sea is 47 m., and its maximum breadth is about 91 m.; its See also:

AREA

area is about 340 sq. m. It lies nearly north and south. Its See also:

SURFACE

surface being 1289–1300 ft. below the level of the Mediterranean Sea, it has of course no outlet. It is bounded on the north by the broad valley of the See also:

Jordan; on the See also:

east by the rapidly rising terraces which culminate in the Moabite See also:

plateau, 3100 ft. above the level of the lake; on the south by the See also:

DESERT

desert of the Arabah, which rises to the See also:

WATERSHED

watershed between the Dead and the Red Sea—651 m. from the former, 461 from the latter; height 66o ft.—and on the See also:

west by the Judean mountains which attain a height of 3300 ft. On the east side a See also:

peninsula, El-Lisan (" the See also:

TONGUE (O. Eng. lunge)

tongue "), of See also:

white calcareous See also:

MARL (from O. Fr. marle, Late Lat. margila, dim. of marga; cf. Du. and Ger. Mergel)

marl with beds of See also:

salt and See also:

GYPSUM

gypsum, divides the sea into two unequal parts: this peninsula is about 50 ft. high, and is connected by a narrow See also:

STRIP

strip of See also:

marsh-See also:

LAND

land with the See also:

SHORE

shore. Its See also:

NORTHERN

northern and See also:

SOUTHERN

southern extremities have been named Cape Costigan and Cape See also:

MOLYNEUX

Molyneux, in memory of two explorers who were among the first in See also:

MODERN

modern times to navigate the sea and succumbed to the consequent See also:

FEVER (Lat. febris, connected with fervere, to burn)

fever and exhaustion. North of the peninsula the lake has a maximum See also:

DEPTH

depth of 1278 ft.; south of it the water is nowhere more than 12 ft., and in some places only 3 ft.

The surface level of the lake varies with the See also:

SEASON (0. Fr. seson, seison, mod. saison, Lat. satio, sowing time, the spring, from serere, to sow; in Late Lat. the word is found with its present meaning, the spring being considered as particularly the season of the year)

season, and See also:

RECENT

recent observations taken on behalf of the Palestine Exploration Fund seem to show that there are probably cyclical See also:

variations also (ultimately dependent on the rainfall), the nature and periodicity of which there are as yet no sufficient data to determine. In 1858 there was a small See also:

ISLAND (O.E. ieg =isle, +land')

island near the north end rising so or 12 ft. above the surface and connected with the shore by a See also:

CAUSEWAY

causeway; this has been submerged since 1892; and owing to the See also:

GRADUAL (Med. Lat. gradualis, of or belonging to steps or degrees; gradus, step)

gradual rise of level within these years the fords south of the Lisan, and the pathway which formerly rounded the See also:

Ras Feshkhah, are now no longer passable. The slopes on each side of the sea are furrowed with water- courses, some of them perennial, others See also:

winter torrents only. The See also:

CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

chief affiuents of the sea are as follows:—on the north, Jordan and `See also:

Ain es-Suweimeh; on the east Wadis Ghuweir, Zerka See also:

Main (See also:

CALLIRRHOE

Callirrhoe), Mojib (Arnon), Ed-Dera'a, and el-Hesi; on the west, Wadis Muhawat and Seyal, `Ain Jidi (En-Gedi), See also:

WADI

Wadi el Merabbah, `Ain Ghuweir, Wadi el-Nar, `Ain Feshkhah. The quantity of water poured daily into the sea is not less than 6,000,000 tons, all of which has to be carried off by evaporation. The consequence of the ancient evaporation, by which the great Pleistocene lake was reduced to its See also:

PRESENT

present modest dimensions, and of the ceaseless modern daily evaporation, is the impregnation of the waters of the lake with salts and other See also:

MINERAL

mineral substances to a remarkable degree. Ocean water contains on an See also:

AVERAGE

average 4-6% of salts: Dead Sea water contains 25%. The following See also:

ANALYSIS (Gr. avci and Meta, to break up into parts)

analysis, by Dr See also:

BERNAYS, JAKOB (1824-1881)

Bernays, gives the contents of the water more accurately: Specific gravity 1.1528 at 15.5° C. See also:

CALCIUM [symbol Ca, atomic weight 40.0 (o= x6)]

Calcium carbonate . 70.00 grains Calcium sulphate . 163.39 See also:

MAGNESIUM [symbol Mg, atomic weight 24.32 (0 = 16)]

Magnesium nitrate . 175.01 See also:

POTASSIUM [symbol K (from kalium), atomic weight 39.114 0=16)]

Potassium chloride .

1089.06 See also:

SODIUM [symbol Na, from Lat. natrium; atomic weight 23.00 (0=16)]

Sodium chloride 5106.00 Calcium chloride 594.46 Magnesium chloride 7388.21 Magnesium bromide 345.80 See also:

IRON [symbol Fe, atomic weight 55.85 (0=16)]

Iron and See also:

ALUMINIUM (symbol Al; atomic weight 27.0)

aluminium oxides 10.50 Organic See also:

MATTER

matter, water of crystalliza- tion, loss . . . 317.57 See also:

TOTAL

Total See also:

RESIDUE (through the French, from the Lat. residuum, a remainder, from residere, to remain)

residue per See also:

GALLON

gallon . . 15260.00 The See also:

DENSITY (Lat. densus, thick)

density of the water averages 1.166. It increases from north to south, and with the depth. The increase is at first rapid, then, after reaching a certain point, becomes more See also:

UNIFORM

uniform. At 300 metres its density is 1.253. The boiling point is 221° F. To the quantity of solid matter suspended in its water the Dead Sea owes, beside its saltness, its buoyancy and its poisonous properties. The human See also:

BODY

body floats on the surface without exertion. Owing principally to the large proportion of chloride and bromide of See also:

MAGNESIA

magnesia no See also:

animal See also:

LIFE

life can exist in its water. See also:

Fish, which abound in the Jordan and in the brackish See also:

SPRING (from " to spring," " to leap or jump up," " burst out," O. Eng., springau, a common Teut. word, cf. Ger. springer, possibly allied to Gr. QnrFpxecOac, to move rapidly)

spring-fed lagoons that exist in one or two places around its shores (such as `Ain Feshkhah), See also:

die in a very See also:

SHORT, FRANCIS JOB (1857– )

short See also:

time if introduced into the main waters of the lake.

The only animal life reported from the lake has been some See also:

TETANUS (from Gr. rei:vw, I stretch, on account of the tension of the fibres of the affected muscles), or LOCKJAW

tetanus and other bacilli said to have been found in its mud; but this See also:

DISCOVERY

discovery has not been confirmed. To the chloride of calcium is due the smooth and oily feeling of the water, and to the chloride of magnesia its disagreeable See also:

TASTE (from Lat. taxare, to touch sharply; tangere, to touch)

taste. In See also:

ROMAN

Roman times curative properties were ascribed to the waters: Mukaddasi (A.o. 985) asserts that See also:

PEOPLE

people assembled to drink it on a feast See also:

day in See also:

AUGUST (originally Sextilis)

August. The salt of the Dead Sea is collected and sold in See also:

Jerusalem; See also:

SMUGGLING

smuggling of salt (which in See also:

TURKEY

Turkey is a See also:

government See also:

MONOPOLY (Gr. govomeXla or govoircaXwv, exclusive sale, from govds, alone, and irwXeiv, to sell)

monopoly) is a See also:

REGULAR

regular occupation of the Bedouin. The See also:

BITUMEN

bitumen which floats to shore is also collected. The origin of this bitumen is disputed: it was supposed to be derived from subaqueous strata of bituminous marl and See also:

rose to the surface when loosened by earthquakes. It is, however, now more generally believed that it exists in the See also:

BRECCIA

breccia of some of the valleys on the west side of the lake, which is washed into the sea andsubmerged, till the small stones by which it is sunk are loosened and fall out, when the bitumen rises to the surface. See also:

HISTORY

History.—The earliest references to the sea or its See also:

basin are in the patriarchal narratives of See also:

Lot and See also:

ABRAHAM, or ABRAM (Hebrew for " father is high ")

Abraham, the most striking being the destruction of the neighbouring cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. (See SODOM.) The biblical name is the Salt Sea, the Sea of the Arabah (the south end of the Jordan valley), or the East Sea. The name in See also:

JOSEPHUS, FLAVIUS (c. 37-C. 95?)

Josephus is Asphaltites, referring to the bituminous deposits above alluded to. The modern name is See also:

BAHR

Bahr Lilt or " Sea of Lot "—a name hardly to be explained as a survival of a vague tradition of the See also:

PATRIARCH (M.E. and O. Fr. patriarche, Lat. patriarcha, Gr. aarpuipxtis, from srarptu., clan, and apxil, rule)

patriarch, but more probably due to the See also:

LITERARY

literary influences of the See also:

HEBREW

Hebrew Scriptures and the See also:

KORAN

Koran filtering through to the modern inhabitants or their ancestors.

The name Dead Sea first appears in See also:

LATE

late See also:

Greek writers, as See also:

PAUSANIAS

Pausanias and See also:

Galen. At En-Gedi on its western See also:

BANK

bank See also:

David for a while took See also:

REFUGE

refuge. South of it is the stronghold of Masada, built by See also:

Jonathan Maccabaeus and fortified by See also:

Herod in 42 B.C., where the last stand of the See also:

Jews was made against the See also:

Romans after the fall of Jerusalem, and where the See also:

garrison, when the defences were breached, slew themselves rather than fall into Roman hands. The sea has been but little navigated. See also:

Tacitus and Josephus mention boats on the lake, and boats are shown upon it in the Madeba See also:

MOSAIC (corresponding to Lat. opus musivum, from Gr. µovoeiov, an artificial grotto often decorated with mosaics; the word is only found in the sense of mosaic in late Greek, which generally uses k oXI yrlµa)

mosaic. The See also:

NAVIGATION (from Lat. navis, ship, and agere, to move)

navigation dues formed part of the See also:

revenue of the lords of See also:

KERAK

Kerak under the crusaders. In modern times navigation is practically nil. The lake, with the whole See also:

JERICHO (WI:, m;, once ahn:, a word of disputed meaning, whether " fragrant " or " moon [-god] city ")

Jericho See also:

PLAIN (O. Fr. plain, from Lat. plenum)

plain, is claimed as the See also:

PERSONAL

personal See also:

PROPERTY

property of the See also:

SULTAN (an Arabic word meaning " victorious " or " a ruler," sultat, dominion)

sultan. The See also:

MEDIEVAL

medieval travellers brought See also:

home many See also:

STRANGE, SIR ROBERT (1721-1792)

strange legends of the sea and its peculiarities—some absurd, others with a basis of fact. The See also:

ABSENCE (Lat. absentia)

absence of sea-birds, due to the absence of fish, probably accounts for the See also:

story that no birds could See also:

FLY (formed on the root of the supposed original Tent. fleugan, to fly)

fly over it. The absence of vegetation on its shores, due to the scanty rainfall and See also:

general want of fresh water—except in the neighbourhood of springs• like `Ain Feshkhah and `Ain Jidi, where a Iuxuriant subtropical vegetation is found—accounts for the story that no plant could live in the poisonous See also:

air which broods over the sea. The mists, due to the great See also:

HEAT (0. E. haktu, which like " hot," Old Eng. hat, is from the Teutonic type haita, hit, to be hot; cf. Ger. hitze, heiss; Dutch, hitte, heet, &c.)

heat and excessive evaporation, and the noxious miasmata, especially of the southern region, were exaggerated into the See also:

NOISOME

noisome vapours that the " See also:

black and stinking " waters ever exhaled.

The See also:

JUDGMENT

judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah (which of course they believed to be under the waters of the lake, in accordance with the absurd theory first found in Josephus and still often repeated) blinded these See also:

GOOD, JOHN MASON (1764-1827)

good pilgrims to the ever-fresh beauty of this most lovely lake, whose See also:

BLUE (common in different forms to most European languages)

blue and sparkling waters See also:

lie deep between rocks and precipices of unsurpassable grandeur. The See also:

PLAY

play of brilliant See also:

COLOURS, MILITARY

colours and of ever-changing contrasts of See also:

LIGHT

light and shade on those rugged See also:

mountain-sides and on the surface of the sea itself might have been expected to See also:

APPEAL

appeal to the,,.~nost prosaic. The surface of the sea is generally smooth (seldom,'' however, absolutely inert as the pilgrims represented it), but is frequently raised by the north winds into waves, which, owing to the See also:

WEIGHT

weight and density of the water, are often of great force. The first to navigate the sea in modern times was an Irish traveller, Costigan by name, in August and See also:

SEPTEMBER (Lat. septem, seven)

September 1835. Owing largely to the folly of his Greek servant, who, without his See also:

MASTER (Lat. magister, related to tnagis, more, as the corresponding minister is to minus, less; the English form is due partly to the O. Eng. maegister, and partly to O. Fr. maistre, mod. maitre; cf. Du. meester, Ger. Meister, Ital. maestro)

master's knowledge, threw overboard the drinking-water to lighten the See also:

BOAT (0. Eng. bdt; the true etymological connexion with Dutch and Ger. boot, Fr. bateau, Ital. battello presents great difficulties; Celtic forms are from O. Eng.)

boat, the explorer after circumnavigating the sea reached Jericho in an exhausted See also:

CONDITION (Lat. condicio, from condicere, to agree upon, arrange; not connected with conditio, from condere, conditum, to put together)

condition, andwas there attacked by a severe fever. The greatest difficulty was experienced in obtaining assistance for him, but he was ultimately conveyed on See also:

CAMEL (from the Arabic Djemal or the Heb. Gamal)

camel-back to Jerusalem, where he died; his See also:

GRAVE

grave is in the Franciscan See also:

CEMETERY (Gr. Korrsnri7pwv, from Hoiµav, to sleep)

cemetery there. His See also:

FATE

fate was shared by his successor, a See also:

BRITISH

British See also:

NAVAL

naval officer, See also:

LIEUTENANT

Lieutenant Molyneux (1847), whose party was attacked and robbed by See also:

BEDOUINS (Ahl Bedu, " dwellers in the open land," or Ahl el beit, " people of the tent," as they call themselves)

Bedouins. W. F. See also:

LYNCH, PATRICIO (1825–1886)

Lynch, an See also:

AMERICAN

American explorer (1848), equipped by the See also:

UNITED

United States government, was more successful, and he may claim to be the first who examined its shores and sounded its depths. Since his time the duc de See also:

LUYNES

Luynes, Lartet, See also:

Wilson, See also:

Hull, Blanckenhorn, See also:

Gautier, Libbey, Masterman and See also:

Schmidt, to name but a few, have made contributions to our knowledge of this lake;- but still many problems present themselves for See also:

SOLUTION (from Lat. solvere, to loosen, dissolve)

solution. Among these may be mentione4 (r) the explanation of a.remarkable line of white foam that extends along the See also:

AXIS (Lat. for " axle ")

axis of the lake amost every morning—supposed by Blanckenhorn to See also:

mark the line of a fissure, thermal and asphaltic, under the See also:

bed of the lake, but otherwise explained as a consequence of the current of the Jordan, which is not completely expended till it reaches the Lisan, or as a result of the mingling of the salt water with the brackish spring water especially along the western shore; (2) a northward current that has been observed along the east See also:

COAST (from Lat. costa, a rib, side)

coast; (3) various disturbances of level, due possibly to See also:

DIFFERENCES, CALCULUS OF (Theory of Finite Differences)

differences of barometric pressure; (4) some apparently See also:

electrical phenomena that have been observed in the valley.

Before we can be said to know all that we might regarding this most interesting of lakes further extensive scientific observations are necessary; but these are extremely difficult owing to the impossibility of maintaining self-registering See also:

INSTRUMENTS

instruments in a region practically closed to Europeans for nearly See also:

HALF

half the See also:

YEAR

year by the stifling heat, and inhabited only by Bedouins, who are the worst See also:

KIND (O. E. ge-cynde, from the same root as is seen in " kin," supra)

kind of ignorant, thievish and mischievous savages. (R. A. S.

End of Article: DEAD SEA

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