Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Some information were repeated together with the development from one to the next
generation. This happened with the presentation of the Oxus or Ougus
river
12
which was so
depicted until the first quarter of the 18
th
century. As an example can be shown the map by
Christfried Kircher of 1734 or J.B. Homann's map of
Kilania
(and different other dates of its
editions)
13
.
As far as the domestic Russian cartography is concerned, it is necessary to come back to the
above mentioned Alexey V. Postnikov's article. We read there that the first document of
Russian domestic cartography was so-called “
Nikon's latopis
”. The earliest Russian maps
initially were composed for small fragments of areas, for instance a vicinities of rivers,
meadows, then strongholds, and finally cities. The last were created mainly for military
needs. Road maps in turn were created for mission needs to be used by monks. The maps
of northern sea lands were made because of sailors' and fishermen's needs. However,
despite of existence of much information in Russian transmissions in maps and drawings,
practically they had not survived. There are, however, many maps, which have been
made by foreign cartographers, who in their diaries or accounts were writing about the
politeness Russian natives showed towards the foreigners. They were particularly very
helpful in every aspect in terrain. It is even possible that they served some sketch maps of
a small parts of a given area like those experienced traders and voyagers of the Muscovy
Company. Professor Postnikov writes about the Polish cartographer G. Maintsky, who,
according to the Professor, was an author of the world map of 1100, where he already
marked Russia as a country situated northerly of the Danube. The next cartographic
document where the Russia territory is marked is the famous Ebstorf map of the end of
13
th
century. On the map Professor Postnikov notices fourteen times the different names
connected with the region of Russia.
As far as the territory of South Asia is concerned, we should not forget about the voyages by
13
th
century latest half traveller Marco Polo (1254 - 1324). Together with his brother he
passed the so-called Silk Road (south of the Black Sea and Caspian Sea) and reached China,
and, like Jenkinson, later on, Marco Polo passed the same dangerous Bokhara, as well as
was a guest on the court of Great Khan of Persia.
From the year 1459 comes the world map by Fra Mauro, however, there is a quite detailed
fragment of territory of Russia which is therefore why it should be quoted here (Borodaev &
Kontev, A. V., 2007). Very good picture of the part of the region in the topic illustrates the
fragment of the map (p. 20). We find the description on this map on the next page. On
subsequent maps appear more detailed pictures of Sarmatia
14
- for instance in 1513
Strasburg edition of “
Geography”
by Ptolemaeus.
12
The name Oxus is the Arabic name of Ougus (more read later on)
13
This map has been kindly indicated by Professor Alexander Podosinov
14
Sarmatia is the region situated between Vistula river and Caspian Sea. This name became famous thanks to well-
known Polish classic writer Henryk Sienkiewicz. In 16
th
century there was another Polish writer - Matthaeus of
Miechov (1457 - 1523, so called Miechowita in Polish), who described this region in his “Tractatus de duabus
