Old Maps, Expeditions and Explorations: JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS

Monday, February 2, 2009

JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS

Abraham Ortelius, in Parergon, Antwerp, 1595
Smith Collection, University of Southern Maine
Seen here are the regions traversed by Jason and the Argonauts on their successful quest to capture the Golden Fleece from the king of Colchis on the far eastern shore of the Black Sea (CAVCASEVM MARE). In the vignette below the title, the Golden Fleece is seen hanging from a tree, guarded by a dragon and two fire-breathing bulls.

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Abkhazia

My favourite is the story of 19th century 'negotiations' between an up-coming Russia and a declining Ottoman Turkey in which Russia demanded the cession by Ottoman -Turkey of the province of Abkhazia. The Turkish delegates who had been summoned to the Czar's palace had little idea of their empire, where Abkhazia was or how big a loss it would represent to Ottoman Turkey. It's actually 8,600 sq kilometers, or 40% of a Wales for those who prefer more traditional area measurements. However there was a map of Abkhazia hanging on the Czar's palace walls, alongside a similarly-sized map of the palace gardens - no scale to either map, although the latter was probably at a somewhat larger scale. Based on these 2 maps the Ottoman delegation concluded they were ceding an insignificant piece of territory.- Dr Hillary Shaw