Yellow river: Did you mean...?

An illustrated map of the Mediterranean from 700 BCE to 500 CE. From the novel The Jericho River by David Tollen.

An illustrated map of medieval and early modern Europe. From the novel The Jericho River by David Tollen.

An aerial view of Gao and the Niger River in Mali, West Africa. The river and trade along it were fundamental in the rise of African empires such as the Mali Empire (1240-1645 CE). Photo Credit: UN Photo/Harandane Dicko

An illustration by Maia Kobabe showing a cherub. These multi-headed beings appear in Abrahamic religions where they often function as attendant angels. From the novel The Jericho River by David Tollen.

An illustration by Maia Kobabe showing a ziggurat, a standard feature of temple complexes in ancient Mesopotamia. From the novel The Jericho River by David Tollen.

Marble statue from the West pediment of the Parthenon (West pediment A) depicting a river-god (possibly the river Ilissos), designed by Pheidias, about 438-432 BCE. (British Museum, London)

An illustration by Maia Kobabe showing a typical scholar of the 17th to 18th centuries. From the novel The Jericho River by David Tollen.

An illustration by Maia Kobabe showing an ancient aqueduct. From the novel The Jericho River by David Tollen.

Washita River, Oklahoma, USA: Vicinity of the Washita Massacre of November 1868 where Black Kettle and his wife were killed trying to escape across the river.

An 1883 oil on canvas, By the River at Vernon, by Claude Monet (1840-1926), the French impressionist painter. Painted in late-afternoon light, the artist was keen to capture the effect of the reflections in the river. Monet applies paint...