this issue
previous article in this issuenext article in this issue

Document Details :

Title: Das Schwarze Meer in der geokartographischen Tradition der Antike und des frühen Mittelalters III
Subtitle: Die Flußverbindungen zwischen dem Baltischen und dem Schwarzen Meer nach Angaben der antiken, mittelalterlichen und arabischen Geokartographie
Author(s): PODOSSINOV, Alexander V.
Journal: Ancient West & East
Volume: 7    Date: 2008   
Pages: 107-134
DOI: 10.2143/AWE.7.0.2033255

Abstract :
This paper continues the series of works on the historical geocartography of the Black Sea countries in antiquity. It is devoted to the river connection between the Black Sea and the Baltic in ancient, early mediaeval European and Islamic maps and geographical descriptions based on maps. The author comes to the conclusion that there always existed the idea of the possibility of reaching the Baltic by river(s). Begining from ancient Greek cosmological theories about the origin of rivers from the ocean and mythological beliefs connected with the return journey of argonauts, this concept was alive in many Greek and Roman geographical descriptions as well as in cartography. This phenomen was inherited by mediaeval cartography in Western and Eastern Europe and in some Islamic cartographical schools.

Download article