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Gemini For Museums: Q&A With The 1700 "Large Mortier Bible"'s Diagram Of Noah's Ark

Kalev Leetaru

The "Large Mortier Bible", published in 1700, contains an elaborate and highly technical diagram of Noah's Ark, complete with a compartment-level breakdown of what species were kept where, how provisions were stored, and even the kind of transparent substance used to make the top-level window. Given that the text is in Dutch, let's first ask Gemini to translate it for us and then ask Gemini a few questions about this specific rendering of the Ark, how it compares to other descriptions and its history. Here we see that a museum visitor encountering this diagram in an exhibit could engage quite compellingly with it via Gemini.

Let's start with the technical diagram itself:

Let's translate those labels:

Translate COMPLETELY.
DO NOT SUMMARIZE.
TRANSLATE IT ALL.

Top Section

Middle Section

Bottom Section

Floor Plan Labels

Amazingly, the rendering even includes a complete compartment-level inventory:

Here is the complete translation of the text found in the image "20260928_113003.jpg":

14 BIBLICAL HISTORY.

Those who have written accurately about the interior of the Ark, and among others Goeree, consider that it could have been as is depicted in this accompanying tableau. From the following indication of the Letters one can see what each compartment or section is suitable for.

IN THE FIRST FLOOR,

which is the lowest, all the four-footed beasts were placed.

THE SECOND FLOOR,

being the middle where the food and supply of fodder for men and beasts was.

THE THIRD FLOOR,

being the uppermost, where the dwellings were for Noah and his family; besides the cages and nests of the birds.

Admonition to the VIEWER.

The Viewer must note that the Ark is shown open here on the outside, which otherwise must have been closed; so that one could see the animals each in its own place.

How about the introductory text?

BIBLICAL HISTORY. 13

The Form or shape of Noah's Ark.

Genesis Chapter VI. verses 15. 16.

One has much difficulty understanding how Noah could have placed all the species of animals, and all the necessary provisions to keep them alive for a whole year, into the Ark. But to remove the principal difficulties which one might raise concerning this, one only needs to note the size of the Ark, and its internal arrangement. The Ark was three hundred cubits long, fifty wide, and had thirty in height, of which Noah made three stories, giving to each more or less cubits, according to the use for which they must serve. The first of these three stories was suited to receive four-footed beasts; but since these are very different in shape, and also in size, yes even in nature, whereby for the most part they cannot get along with one another, God had charged Noah that he should partition the place into compartments, in order to be able to put animals of one and the same species in each compartment. It was not necessary that Moses should point out to us how this Holy Patriarch went to work in this regard, to follow the ground plan which God had given him: one can easily understand that God guided his hand in that entire work, and that he instilled in him all the understanding and comprehension that was necessary to complete the same. The number of the species of four-footed animals that are essentially different, does not extend nearly as far as one might imagine. Possibly there are but very few that have escaped the careful investigation, which many persons at various times in all parts of the known world have made of them: yet one counts in all no more than about a hundred and thirty species; and assuming that there were a third more; which, however, after all the effort expended and costs incurred to know and understand them all, one can impossibly imagine; there was enough room in a space of three hundred cubits long, and fifty wide, for more compartments than were necessary, and to give to each compartment as much space as was required, according to the size of the beasts that one had to put in them. If one has but a little knowledge of Surveying, and thinks about it with some attention, one can easily make that calculation. Each compartment must have its gratings, whether small or large, to cause the filth of the animals to fall through to the bottommost floor; and since they must be arranged in such a way that Noah and his sons could go to bring the necessary feed and water to the beasts that were enclosed therein, one can easily imagine that they were all made in a row, and that there were many corridors in the length and breadth of the Ark, through which Noah and his sons could go in all directions. In the illustration that one sees here, many species of four-footed beasts are shown, which were placed in the lowest story; and by presenting this sketch before the eyes, one only wished to come to the aid of the reader's understanding, to form for themselves a reasonable idea of how the matter could have been, without therefore claiming that Noah would have strictly adhered to the drawing which is given of it in this print. But just as it would be recklessness to firmly assert a matter that is so uncertain, so it would also not be very reasonable to deny that it could not have been so.

The second story, being the middle one, was arranged approximately like the other two, and divided into several rows of compartments, or lofts, for feed, grain, seed, barrels of fresh water, and other necessary things, not only for the time that Noah had to be in the Ark, but also to cultivate and sow the earth after the deluge.

The third story, which was the uppermost, was illuminated by the window that God had commanded Noah to make there, and which could have been of crystal, or of the stone named Selenites, which is found in Arabia, and is very clear, or of some other transparent substance, which however is not as easily subject to breaking as glass. It was there that Noah took up his residence with his family, and placed all the birds, all the known species of which do not go far above one hundred and fifty. Inasmuch as this story was of the same length and breadth as the other two, one has not much difficulty in understanding that Noah could easily have made as many partitions there as he wished, to keep the various species of fowl. God prevented through his Providence that there should come any mortality among this great number of beasts, which were enclosed in the Ark for a whole year: and after they had gone out of it they spread themselves upon the earth, and multiplied there as before.

C2

Let's ask a few questions about all of this. The description above gives a precise size in "cubits", but what does that translate to in inches and feet?

What was the total size of the Ark in feet and inches according to this description?
Be specific and cite your sources and explain your reasoning.

The provided text describes the Ark's dimensions using the Dutch word "ellen," which refers to ells or cubits. The specific measurements listed in the document are:

To convert these figures into modern measurements, each dimension is multiplied by the standard common cubit length of 1.5 feet (18 inches):

Based on these conversions, the total size of the Ark was 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high.

How realistic might this be if we wanted to replicate this?

How realistic would this be for housing these animals in real life at the time of Noah's Ark to survive the flood?
Could this possibly have worked if this was the design and layout?

Based on the provided historical diagrams and text, the design represents a highly structured, logical attempt to solve the logistical nightmare of the Ark, but it contains several critical physical flaws that would make it highly unrealistic for surviving a year-long flood in real life.

Here is an analysis of how the layout addresses survival logistics and where it breaks down:

Design Strengths and Logical Planning

Real-World Practicality Flaws

Comparison With Modern Zoological Facilities

How does this description and inventory and architectural layout of the Ark compare with other descriptions?

Alignment with the Biblical Account (Genesis 6)

The Dutch text’s architectural baseline directly mirrors the primary specifications given in Genesis 6. The dimensions are identical, describing a vessel 300 ells (cubits) long, 50 wide, and 30 high. The layout strictly adheres to the biblical mandate of three distinct levels—a bottom, middle, and top deck. Furthermore, the text accounts for a top-floor window to provide light, matching the biblical tzohar.

The Kircher-Goeree Tradition of Floor Assignments

While Genesis never specifies how the three decks were utilized, this Dutch text, referencing the scholar Willem Goeree, follows a highly structured 17th-century interpretive tradition heavily influenced by Athanasius Kircher. Rather than mixing animals by size across the ship, it rigidly segregates them by type and function:

Unique Architectural and Inventorial Details

This specific layout introduces hyper-specific, practical engineering and domestic details not found in standard biblical or ancient descriptions:

Contrasts with Ancient and Modern Interpretations

This 17th-century European model contrasts sharply with both older and newer interpretations of the Ark. Ancient Mesopotamian flood myths, such as the Epic of Gilgamesh, describe the ark as a massive six-decked cube, while the Atrahasis epic describes a round, coracle-like vessel. Conversely, modern creationist interpretations often view the Ark through the lens of advanced nautical engineering, incorporating features like wind-catching fins, stern rudders, and mezzanine half-floors to maximize space and stability. These modern nautical models differ significantly from the simple, flat-bottomed, three-story rectangular box with domestic cellars and uniform grid layouts depicted in this historical text.

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