Maps, along with the accompanying research and descriptions, are important historical evidence. They contribute to the understanding of the political development of the ancient and modern world, reflecting international relations at certain stages of state development.
The book “Armenia in World Cartography” was republished at the initiative of His Eminence Archbishop Ezras Nersisyan, head of the Russian and New Nakhichevan Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church.
Map 1
This map, which depicts the roads of the Roman Empire, is called the “Tabula Peutingeriana” (or “Peutinger Table”). It was in the library of Konrad Peutinger, a German humanist and antiquarian, who acquired it in 1508 (in 2007, the Peutinger Table was included in UNESCO’s “Memory of the World” list). It marks the major cities of the empire, regions, trade centers, rest and lodging places, and the connecting routes with distances indicated.
The map was presumably compiled based on an original made by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa (63-12 BC) by order of Emperor Octavian Augustus in 20 BC. Over several centuries, changes and clarifications were made to the map.
It may have been corrected in the 4th century, as it shows Constantinople, named so by Constantine the Great on May 11, 330. However, the Peutinger Table also features images of cities in modern-day Germany that were destroyed or abandoned after the 5th century. This indicates that changes to the map ceased in the 5th century.
From a geographical perspective, the map’s layout is inaccurate, but since it was intended only to provide information to travelers and guide them, it could well serve its purpose. The comparative location of countries and cities is approximate, and the marked cities were chosen because important roads passed through them.
At one time, part of Armenia was under the rule of the Roman Empire and is therefore marked on the map. Armenia is depicted in the upper part of Mesopotamia, adjacent to Media. Armenian cities found on the map include Tigranocerta, Artashat, Bagrevand (Ragaunia), and Vostan (Vostauana).
The territory covered by the map extends from the Persian Empire to Britain. It is divided into 12 parts, with a length of 640 cm and a width of 34 cm.
Austrian National Library, Vienna.
Map 2
The “Map of Asia” by Jerome was created around 420 AD, and only a 12th-century copy has survived to this day. On the map, north is positioned to the left, mountains are depicted with semicircles, and rivers with two parallel lines.
Jerome, also known as St. Jerome (348-420), was one of the interpreters of the Holy Scriptures. In his translation of the “Onomasticon” by Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea (260-340), he included this map. It marks places and names mentioned in the Holy Scriptures.
The Black Sea is located at the bottom left of the map, and the Caspian Sea is almost in the middle of the left side of the map. At the top is the Indian Ocean, and at the bottom is Greece. Other states marked include Babylon, Persia, Syria, and Chaldea.
On this map, Armenia is situated between the Black and Caspian Seas. The Gates of Armenia, Armenia pile, are mountains from which the Araks River flows on one side and the Tigris River on the other. At the bottom of the gates is Noah’s Ark, which landed on another mountain, to the right of which is Greater Armenia, Armenia superior, and below is Lesser Armenia, Armenia inferior. Cities marked in Armenia include Edessa, Samosata, Harq, and others.
Countries neighboring Armenia include Iberia (Virk), Parthia, Colchis, and Aghvank. Atropatene (here Adiabene) is located on the other bank of the Araks River, southeast of Armenia.
British Library, London.
Map 3
Two parallel lines in the central part of the map represent the Araks River. In the southern part, the map is divided: in the east is Azerbaijan, and in the west is Armenia (here Arimania).
“Azerbaijan” is written twice, almost vertically. On its eastern border are the regions of Daylam and Jabal. Cities marked in Azerbaijan include Ardabil, Maragha, Alhar (probably Ahar), Zanjan, and Mount Sabalan (here Senan). On the border of Armenia is Lake Urmia.
At the bottom left, “Armenia” is written in two places. On the road going diagonally from the bottom left to the top right, a series of cities are marked, including Bitlis, Khlat, Arjesh, Berkri, Khoy, Salmast, Urmia, and Dadjerman (Dahargan). The road passing through Maragha, Ahar, and Miane leads towards Ardabil, from where another horizontal road leads west again through the cities of Meymand, Marand, and Dabil (Dvin – in Armenia). To the left, two Masis are depicted in gold paint, marked on the map with the Arabic name of Ararat – “al-Haret”.
To the left of Ararat is a triangle labeled “Kalkila”. This is a distorted name for Kalikla, which in ancient times was the Islamic name for Karin-Erzurum. On the western border is the region of Bilad al-Rum, which means “Roman country” – Byzantium. On the southern border is Al-Jazira, the Arabic name for Mesopotamia.
British Library, London.
Map 4
Abu Asah ibn Muhammad al-Farsi, known as al-Istakhri (died in the 950s), a Persian by origin, is known as an Arab geographer and historian. Having traveled throughout the Middle East, North Africa, and the Mediterranean region, he wrote the geographical book “Kitab al-Masalik wa al-Mamalik” (“Book of Roads and Kingdoms”) between 934-950.
The manuscript presents a world map of the Balkh school, which depicts the Islamic world. This map is a copy of the original manuscript translated into Persian in Baghdad in 1836. Copies of al-Istakhri’s manuscripts, along with the world map, also include about 20 maps of Islamic regions, including Iraq, Mesopotamia, Egypt, North Africa, the Persian Gulf, Kerman, Khorasan, Fars, Sistan, Central Asia, Khazaria (Caspian region), and their western part, called “Arran, Adharbayjan, and Ayastan (Armenia)”.
The large sea on the left side of the map is the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, as well as the Indian and Pacific Oceans, with four islands located there. The sea depicted on the right is the Mediterranean, from which the Aegean Sea extends in an arc down to the Black Sea, connecting with the Caspian. The blue circle on the left is the Aral Sea, and the river at the top is the Nile, with its five sources originating in the Mountains of the Moon.
Among the names of countries southwest of the Caspian Sea, neighboring Azerbaijan, Armenia is marked.
British Library, London. Ruben Galchyan
