Server side image maps predate javascript. They were in early versions of Mosaic.

Client side image maps and the script element were (AFAICT) both introduced in Netscape 2.

Even when scripting was introduced, you didn't necessarily have the ability to move elements around freely on the page. I think (but I'm not certain) that it wasn't until Netscape 4 era that you had enough layout primitives to implement the multi-layer positioning approach to custom clickable areas.

▲ gavinray an hour ago | parent [-]

With plain HTML you could have done this, though?

  <div class="image-map">
    <img src="funnycats.jpg">
    <a
      href="cats.html"
      style="position:absolute; background: transparent; left: 8.5%; top: 12.5%; width: 59%; height: 87%;"
    ></a>
  </div>

	▲	matsemann 31 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		But only square hit targets then (until clip paths much later). Image maps supported polygons and circles. And position absolute is still a few years after image maps.