Jacob Obermeyer and Talmudic Maps?

Question

I had seen a footnote in Socinco on Pesachim (Or, for a real reference see note on בדיתא לבאי in M.K. 11a), I do not currently remember which page but it referenced a city that was mentioned in the Gemara which the particular manDeamar had as part of his name because he was from there i.e. somewhere in bavel. The footnote said to reference page x in a book called ‘Obermeyer’ I didn’t know what that was so I tried to look it up. I found a guy by the name of Jacob Obermeyer whose life mission was partially to go to these obscure places and recreate Talmudic maps. The book had the name “Die Landschaft Babylonien im Zeitalter des Talmuds und des Gaonats: : Geographie und Geschichte nach talmudischen, arabischen und andern Quellen,, von Jacob Obermeyer; mit zwei Landkarten”

However, I could not seem to find any remanance of this book anywhere. Not for sale, nor pdf or hebrewbooks etc. And so does anybody know the whereabouts of such a book?

Answer 1

I went to a library and saw it in person. This is indeed a correct reference as the footnote cites:

בדיתא לובי i.e., the canal Baditha near Luba on the northern Euphrates, v. Obermeyer, p. 311.]

The original German on page 311 is:

Der Nahr al-Badāt ist zweifellos mit dem Moed Katan 11a verzeichneten Baditha identisch. Hier wird nämlich tradiert: Der Kanal Baditha Lubaï (בדיתא לבאי), d. h. bei der Ortschaft Luba, war derart fischreich, daß “alle Welt” dorthin ging, um Fische zu fangen, auch an den Feiertagen oder gerade an solchen, wo andere Arbeiten außer der Herbeischaffung und Zubereitung von Nahrungsmitteln für den betreffenden Tag verboten sind (S. 2 M. 12, 16).

--

Daß der arabische Nahr al Badāt mit dem talmudischen בדיתא לבאי identisch ist, beweist insbesondere dessen Beiname לבאי. Das ist eine Ortschaft, die sich in derselben Gegend befunden hat, wie der oben bei Ibn Serapion verzeichnete Unterlauf des Nahr al Badāt. “Lauba (לובא)”, schreibt Jakut s. v., “ist ein Ort in Irak, im Sawād von Kaškar, zwischen Wașiț und den Bațāïh”. Dieser Ort lag demnach am Nordrande der Euphratsümpfe zwischen der Ebene von Kaškar-Wașiț und der von Kufa. Diese sog. Bațāīḥ (Sumpfegebiete) waren außerordentlich reich an Fischen (s. Ibn Roste 94), insbesondere (s. Kazwini II, 299) an einer Fischgattung, der auch Šabbat 119a genannten Šabuț, die sehr groß sind und noch heutigen Tages unter diesem Namen in Bagdad stückweise nach Gewicht verkauft werden.

My translation:

The body of water known in Arabic as Nahr al-Badaat is undoubtedly the same as the one mentioned in Moed Katan 11a. This is the traditional description: The channel Badita Lubai (בדיתא לבאי), which literally means ‘by the town of Lubai’, was so well known for its large quantities of fish that everyone would go there to satisfy all of their fishing needs. Even on holidays or especially on such days where any work beyond the collection and preparation of food is prohibited.

--

The Arabic name Nahr al Badaat is synonymous with the Talmudic בדיתא לבאי. This is particually demonstrated by the nickname לבאי, which is a village located in the same place, as quoted above in Ibn Serapion, the lower reaches of Nahr al Badaat. Yaqut writes: “Lauba (לובא) is a place in Iraq, in Sawaad of Kashkar between Wasit and the Bataaih”. It is therefore located on the northern edge of the Euphrates marshes between the planes of Kashkar-Wasit and Kufa. The so called Bataaih (swamp areas) are extraordinarily rich with fish (see Roste 94 line 8), in particular (see Kazwini II 299) a fish species which is also mentioned in Shabbat 119a ‘Shibuta’ (שיבוטא), which is a very large type of fish still sold in Baghdad nowadays in pieces by weight.

Answer 2

A list of 74 libraries with the book can be found here.

Google Books has the book in snippet view. They also have a contact form with an option to request that the book be digitized, which should be no problem since the book seems to be in the public domain.