Two 18th Century Maps of the Old Ishim and the New Ishim Border Lines in Siberia: Description and Historiographical Context

Introduction. This paper focuses on the publication and analysis of two little-known maps from the mid-18th century, preserved in the 192nd collection of the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts (RGADA). These maps are directly related to the history of the Old Ishim and New Ishim (also known as Presnogorkovskaya) borderlines. These lines marked the frontier between territories administered by the military and civil authorities of the Siberian and Orenburg provinces of the Russian Empire and the lands of the Kazakh steppe. The study aims to demonstrate the significance of these cartographic documents for understanding imperial frontier planning and decision-making during the 18th century. Methods and materials. The primary materials are two manuscript maps held in RGADA’s 192nd collection. These documents include not only geographic representations but also narrative cartouches containing administrative and descriptive information. The study applies descriptive and historical-comparative methods, as well as spatial analysis and the method of “neighboring context.” The combination of cartographic and textual analysis allows for a comprehensive interpretation of these historical artifacts. Analysis. The paper provides a detailed description of the maps and a transcription of the texts within the cartouches. These texts offer insights into how border lines were projected and justified, shedding light on Russian imperial decision-making processes in frontier governance. The analysis of historiographical literature reveals that such cartographic sources have received insufficient scholarly attention. This neglect limits the potential to understand the full scope of spatial and administrative strategies employed in 18th-century Russian expansion. The study highlights the need to treat maps not merely as illustrations but as integral historical sources. Results. The expected outcomes include the integration of these newly published sources into ongoing research on the history of Siberia and Kazakhstan, the stimulation of academic interest in historical cartography, and the recognition of maps as valuable tools for reconstructing imperial spatial practices. By bringing these maps into scholarly discourse, the paper contributes to both the regional historiography of Central Eurasia and methodological advancements in the use of visual documents in historical research. Authors’ contribution. Sergei Rasskasov discovered the maps in the 192nd collection of RGADA, conducted their description, and prepared the transcriptions of the cartouches. Taissiya Marmontova and Kairat Abdrakhmanov contributed to the analysis of the historiographical context and the interpretation of the archival background. All authors participated in framing the theoretical approach and finalizing the analytical structure of the paper. Funding. This article was prepared within the framework of the Program-Targeted Funding of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, IRN BR21882225, “The History of Northern Kazakhstan from Ancient Times to the Contemporary Period.” Thanks to the kind assistance of the staff of the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts (RGADA), we were able to locate the original of the “Captain Novosyolov’s map,” which was initially encountered as a photocopy of a fragment.