Justus Perthes
Great Game Map of the Afghan-Tajik Border, 1884
10 x 17 ½ in
26 x 44 cm
26 x 44 cm
AS1276
Copyright The Artist
Das Grenzgebiet von Buchara und Afghanistan This map shows an overview of the explorations by Russian and British expeditions. In modern terms, the focus is on the borders of...
Das Grenzgebiet von Buchara und Afghanistan
This map shows an overview of the explorations by Russian and British expeditions. In modern terms, the focus is on the borders of Afghanistan and Tajikistan.
Ostensibly, the object of the expeditions is to explore the Pamir Mountains and find the source of the Oxus River. However, the hidden sub-text is the Great Game, which were multiple attempts by Russia to find routes and possible allies in Central Asia and the Caucasus, through which they could possibly influence or even invade British India. The British sent corresponding expeditions to counter these attempts and maintain vigilance on the progress of the Russian expeditions.
A key is provided on the lower right to show the routes through the region taken by these expeditions in the early 1880s.
The Geographische Mitteilungen, in which this map was originally published, is the oldest German language geographical journal - its first issue was in 1855 and it finally closed its doors in 2004. The magazine was conceived and edited by August Heinrich Petermann and published by the venerable firm of Justus Perthes in Gotha, Germany.
Its first article reported on an expedition into North Africa and the Sahara by Heinrich Barth and Adolf Overweg. This report was enough to secure a circulation of 4000 for the fledgling magazine and, more importantly, encouraged other important scientist-explorers of the day who were attracted by the magazine’s heavy scientific emphasis to send in their own reports. These included Hans Meyer, the first man to ascend the Kibo crater on Mount Kilimanjaro, Sven Hedin, the Swedish explorer of Central Asia and the Himalayas, and Alfred Wegener, the geoscientist who pioneered the theory of continental shift which led to the modern theory of plate tectonics.
In comparison to its contemporaries, such as the Geographical Journal of the Royal Geographical Society, the Mitteilungen had a far greater interest in ethnography and the physical and natural sciences, leading to the inclusion of many fascinating, but sometimes obscure, maps on the most recent theories related to climatology, meteorology, botany, and zoology.
Original colour. [AS1276]
This map shows an overview of the explorations by Russian and British expeditions. In modern terms, the focus is on the borders of Afghanistan and Tajikistan.
Ostensibly, the object of the expeditions is to explore the Pamir Mountains and find the source of the Oxus River. However, the hidden sub-text is the Great Game, which were multiple attempts by Russia to find routes and possible allies in Central Asia and the Caucasus, through which they could possibly influence or even invade British India. The British sent corresponding expeditions to counter these attempts and maintain vigilance on the progress of the Russian expeditions.
A key is provided on the lower right to show the routes through the region taken by these expeditions in the early 1880s.
The Geographische Mitteilungen, in which this map was originally published, is the oldest German language geographical journal - its first issue was in 1855 and it finally closed its doors in 2004. The magazine was conceived and edited by August Heinrich Petermann and published by the venerable firm of Justus Perthes in Gotha, Germany.
Its first article reported on an expedition into North Africa and the Sahara by Heinrich Barth and Adolf Overweg. This report was enough to secure a circulation of 4000 for the fledgling magazine and, more importantly, encouraged other important scientist-explorers of the day who were attracted by the magazine’s heavy scientific emphasis to send in their own reports. These included Hans Meyer, the first man to ascend the Kibo crater on Mount Kilimanjaro, Sven Hedin, the Swedish explorer of Central Asia and the Himalayas, and Alfred Wegener, the geoscientist who pioneered the theory of continental shift which led to the modern theory of plate tectonics.
In comparison to its contemporaries, such as the Geographical Journal of the Royal Geographical Society, the Mitteilungen had a far greater interest in ethnography and the physical and natural sciences, leading to the inclusion of many fascinating, but sometimes obscure, maps on the most recent theories related to climatology, meteorology, botany, and zoology.
Original colour. [AS1276]
