Krutov D. A. Historical Mapping of Roman Britain (Based on the Cartographic Material of William Smith’s Atlas of Ancient Geography)

Dmitriy A. Krutov
Sevastopol State University (Russia, Sevastopol)
ORCID: 0000-0002-5513-663X
Е-mail: historymind99@yandex.ru

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UDC 930.27
DOI: 10.58529/2782-6511-2026-5-2-18-41

ABSTRACT. This article analyzes the historical mapping of Roman Britain within the context of the development of British historical cartography in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The analysis primarily focuses on the map of Roman Britain from “An Atlas of Ancient Geography” (1874), produced under the editorship of William Smith. This map, compiled on the basis of a broad corpus of classical sources and archaeological data, became the essentialist quintessence of the geographical principle in 19th-century British historical cartography, whereby a single, relatively large-scale map was dedicated to a specific territory. The relevance of this research is determined by the need for sourcecritical study of historical maps as a foundation for modern historical-geographical reconstructions, as well as the absence of works examining the evolution of mapping for a specific historical period and territory, in this case, Roman Britain. Methodologically, the research employs a comprehensive historical-geographical approach, combining elements of external and internal criticism of the cartographic source. Particular attention is paid to the mathematical and geographical basis of the cartographic material, the methods and objects of topographical actualization, and the synchronous use of multiple toponymic systems. Based on a comparative historical-cartographic analysis, the map of Roman Britain is highly assessed as a valuable source for studying the history of cartography and for retrospective geographic information modeling, laying the foundation for subsequent historical cartographic works on classical Britain. However, due to the commercial failure of “An Atlas of Ancient Geography”, this map did not achieve wide circulation and consequently did not directly influence the mass educational atlases of its time, becoming a vivid historical-cartographic emblem of a bygone era of classical elite education.

KEYWORDS: historical cartography, historical atlas, historical map, Roman Britain, Atlas of Ancient Geography, William Smith

For citation: Krutov D. A. [Historical Mapping of Roman Britain (Based on the Cartographic Material of William Smith’s Atlas of Ancient Geography)]. Istoriko-geograficheskiy zhurnal [Historical Geography Journal], 2026, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 18–41. DOI: 10.58529/2782-6511-2026-5-2-18-41 (In Russian).

Received 6 March 2026
Accepted 13 May 2026

© 2026 The Author

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