Siberian paperwork and cartographic sources of the turn of the 17th–18th centuries: the phenomenon of ‘recognising’

of new territories in the empire

Kabakova N.V., Korusenko S.N. (Omsk, Russian Federation)

              page 165–173

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The present article is aimed at estimating the informative value of the Patrol Book of the Tara District (1701) and the Chorographic Drawing Book of Siberia by Semen U. Remezov. Drawing on the comparative analysis of these documents, the authors consider their presentation of the south of Western Siberia through the settlement system of the Russian and Tatar. The study covers late 17th — early 18th centuries, which is associated with the datings of the studied sources. The Patrol Book was compiled by Ivan R. Kachanov, with the patrol having been ordered by Peter I. The Patrol Book contains statistical and descriptive material, includes information on settlements, their inhabitants, as well as various geographical features. Also by the order of Peter I, Semen Remezov created the Chorographic Drawing Book in 1697–1711. It included known data on Siberia and adjacent territories. This source is organised in accordance with the river routes. The Tara District of the Tobolsk Governorate is depicted on pages 84–93 and 107. The maps contain information similar to that found in the Patrol Book, which provides the opportunity to perform a comparative analysis of these two documents. A total of 48 Russian and 51 Tatar settlements are described in the Patrol Book. The Chorographic Book depicts 65 Russian settlements, three small forts (ostrogs), 79 yurts, 5 towns and 8 Tatarian volosts. The difference in numbers was due to the fact that Ivan Kachanov was to note places of residence, places of tax collection, as well as places to which the authorities allocated pay for service-men. During this period, the population of the Tara District developed new lands and founded new temporary settlements, some of which years later turned into permanent ones. Semen Remezov recorded these settlements, so their number on the map is greater than in Patrol Book. The comparison of the studied documents revealed the inconsistency in the names of many settlements. A comparative analysis and comparison of the content of the sources helped determine settlements having similar names and identify identical settlements having different names. The reason for the unestablished names is that some settlements were named after the surnames of first inhabitants; others were named after geographical objects or other inhabitants. For Siberia, both sources, on the one hand, were a sensory, somewhat illusory phenomenon, and on the other, they constituted an experimental perception of the newly included territories.

Key words: Siberia, Patrol Book of the Tara District 1701, Chorographic Drawing Book of Siberia S.U. Remezov, visualization and description of new territories.

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