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The Northern Routes Across Anatolia1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 June 2015

Extract

Turkey has always served as a bridgehead between the continents of Europe and Asia and there are four main ways of crossing it (Fig. 1). The southerly route ran up one or other of the west coast valleys onto the Anatolian plateau, and crossed by the great lakes of Eǧridir and Beyşehir to Konya and thence down through the Taurus mountains by the Cilician Gates into the plain of Adana. From here the routes southwards into Syria and Egypt or eastwards into Mesopotamia and Persia were clear of further geographical obstacles. This was the great route of the Hellenistic and Roman periods when the trade and communications network of Asia Minor were channelled westwards through the ports either of Ephesus or one of the other west coast cities.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The British Institute at Ankara 1977

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References

2 Dawes, E., ed. and Transl., Anna Komnena, The Alexiad, London 1928 repr. 1967, p. 277Google Scholar.

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25 Xenophon, op. cit., IV, VII, 20–6.

26 This great discovery, of which Monsieur Briot was so proud was fated to come down to posterity in disguise. Everyone got his name wrong, and his English account appeared as that of Rorit, M. P., “Identification of Mount Theches of Xenophon”, Journal of the Royal Geographical Society, XL, London 1870, ff. 463–73Google Scholar; while the German version was by Borit, . Kiepert sorted out the muddle in Zeitschrift der Gesellschaft für Erdkunde, XXV, Berlin 1890, p. 390 n. 1Google Scholar.

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33 Kinneir, J. M., Journey through Asia Minor, Armenia, and Kurdistan, London 1818, p. 319 ffGoogle Scholar. G. Fowler, op. cit., pp. 85–7, has a long and interesting note that Kinneir died at Tabriz in 1830 and was buried at his own request at Etchmiadzin where a monument made in London was set up for him.

34 Brant, J., “Journey through a part of Armenia and Asia Minor in the year 1835”, Journal of the Royal Geographical Society, 6, London 1836, p. 222Google Scholar.

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36 Hogarth, D. G., Munro, J. A. R., “Modern and Ancient roads in Eastern Asia Minor”, Royal Geographical Society Supplementary Papers, III, 1893, p. 739Google Scholar.

37 The best general survey of the country and the ancient sites through which our road passes is still Anderson, J. G. C., Cumont, F., Studia Pontica, I–III, Brussels 19031910Google Scholar, A projected fourth volume will be edited by T. B. Mitford.

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41 D. Magie, op. cit., I, pp. 353–60.

42 Satala is described by Cumont, , Studia Pontica, op. cit., II, pp. 343–51Google Scholar. Mitford, T. B. will be producing a new description of it, and he has commented on it in “Some Inscriptions from the Cappadocian Limès”, Journal of Roman Studies, LXIV, 1974, pp. 160–75CrossRefGoogle Scholar; and in Billiotti's excavations at Satala” in Anatolian Studies, XXIV, 1974, pp. 221–44Google Scholar.

43 Cumont, op. cit. D. Magie, op. cit., I, p. 607 and note 32 in II, p. 1465. The authorities differ as to whether the meeting was at Satala or further east along the road at Elegeia.

44 Authorities vary as to the location of Havacic, the place where Basil received the homage; discussed by Honigmann, E., Ostgrenze, op. cit., pp. 194–6Google Scholar.

45 Procopius, , op. cit., The Buildings, III, VI, 23Google Scholar. He also mentions a Germani Fossatum at another place on the same journey. The only geographical comment on the passage is Adontz, N., Armenia in the period of Justinian, transl. Garsoian, N., Lisbon, 1970, pp. 4953Google Scholar. Bryer and Winfield, op. cit., in fn. 1, will suggest a different interpretation.

46 Procopius, op. cit., Wars, I, XV, 9–17.

47 Baynes, N. H., “The first campaign of the Emperor Heraclius against Persia”, English Historical Review, XIX, London 1904, pp. 694702Google Scholar. Bryer and Winfield, op. cit., fn 24, will attempt further elucidation.

48 Cahen, C., “La première pénétration turque en Asie Mineure”, Byzantion, XVIII, Brussels 1948, pp. 567Google Scholar. Mordtmann, A. D., “Die Dynastie der Danischmende”, Zeitschrift der deutschen morgenländischen Gesellschaft, XXX, Leipzig 1876, pp. 467–86Google Scholar.

49 S. Runciman, Crusades, op. cit., III, “The coming of the Mongols”, pp. 237–54. P. 253 refers to the battle “at Sadakh near Erzincan”.

50 Pitcher, D., An Historical Geography of the Ottoman Empire, Leiden 1972, pp. 7582Google Scholar and maps. Babinger, F., Mehmed der Eroberer, Munich 1953, pp. 203–10, 331–4Google Scholar.

51 Chesney, Colonel F. R., The Russo-Turkish Campaigns of 1828 and 1829, London 1854, pp. 269–73Google Scholar. Allen, W. E. D., Muratoff, P., Caucasian Battlefields, Cambridge 1953, p. 41Google Scholar.

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54 Hartwell, Abraham, The History of the Warres between the Turkes and the Persians… written in Italian by John Minadoi and translated into English by A. Hartwell, London 1595, p. 29Google Scholar.

55 The most useful general survey of the roads, with some reservations as to identifications is Taeschner, F., “Das anatolische Wegenetz nach osmanischen Quellen”, Türkische Bibliothek, 22, 23 Leipzig 1926Google Scholar.

56 Account in Purchas, S., Purchas His Pilgrimes, Glasgow 1905, VIII, p. 472Google Scholar.

57 The editions of Purchas seem to vary considerably. This comes from Purchas His Pilgrimage, 4th edition, London 1626, p. 579Google Scholar, but the edition contains no account of Newbery's travels.

58 Çelebi, Evliya, Narrative of travels in Europe, Asia, and Africa, transl. von Hammer, J., 2 vols, London 1834, 1850, II, p. 202Google Scholar. R. Pococke, op. cit., p. 91 also refers to “The great road from Persia, which is by way of Tocat, Amasia and Tosia to Constantinople”.

59 De La Boullaye le-Gouz, Sieur, Les voyages et observations, Paris 1653, pp. 5963Google Scholar.

60 Edward Meltons, Engelsch Edelmans, Zeldzaame en Gedenkwaardige Zee- en Land-Reizen, Amsterdam 1702, pp. 254–74Google Scholar, and return journey pp. 362–4.

61 J. B. Tavernier, op. cit., Bk I, ch. II, p. 4–16.

62 Newbery in Purchas, 1905 ed., op. cit., p. 474 (quoted by French, D. H. in AS XXII, 243Google Scholar).

63 Anderson, , Studia Pontica, op. cit. (n. 37), I, pp. 60–7Google Scholar; Cumont, , Studia Pontica, op. cit., II, pp. 248–53Google Scholar.

64 Cumont, ibid, pp. 259–73.

65 Quoted in Freytag, G. W., “Geschichte der Dynastien der Hamdaniden”, Zeitschrift der Deutschen morgenländischen Gesellschaft, X, Leipzig, 1856, p. 467Google Scholar.

66 de Saint Martin, L. Vivien, Description historique et géographique de l'Asie Mineure, Paris, 1852, II, pp. 650738Google Scholar, esp. Hadji Khalfa or Kiatib-Tchelebi, Djihan-Numa ou Mirroir du Monde, transl. Armain, p. 685. Part of the direct northern route from Osmancık to Erzurum is given on p. 687, but without detail.

67 Burnaby, F., On horseback through Asia Minor, London 1877, I, p. 319Google Scholar.

68 Smith, Eli, Dwight, H. G. O., Missionary Researches in Armenia, London 1834, pp. 2161Google Scholar for the highroad to Erzurum.

69 Père Villotte (but Anon.), Voyages d'un missionaire de la Compagnie de Jésus en Turquie, en Perse, et en Arménie… Paris 1730, p. 20Google Scholar.

70 Morier, J., A journey through Persia, Armenia, and Asia Minor to Constantinople in the years 1808 and 1809, London 1812, pp. 317362Google Scholar; Second Journey, London 1818Google Scholar.

71 SirKer Porter, Robert, Travels in Georgia, Persia, Armenia… 2 vols, London 18211822, II, pp. 672736Google Scholar. Appendix with itinerary, p. 817, and 820–8 useful medical notes for travellers.

72 James Baillie Frazer, refers to his first journey as travelling Tatar, but it was not particularly fast and his date for it is 1834 in one reference and 1833 in the letter heads. This first journey is described in A Winters Journey (Tatar) from Constantinople to Tehran etc. 2 vols, London 1838, I, pp. 173252Google Scholar. The genuine Journey, Tatar is in Travels in Koordistan, Mesopotamia… London 1840, II, pp. 344–86Google Scholar, with valedictory remarks on the last page.

73 Thomas, Howel M.D., A Journal of the Passage from India by a route unfrequented through Armenia and Natolia or Asia Minor… London, no date, B.M. catalogue 1790, Bodley 1787, pp. 99–110, 163–4Google Scholar, itinerary Sivas to Constantinople; pp. 171–8 on the advantage of this route to India taking c. 62 days from London.

74 De Gardane, A., Journal d'un voyage dans la Turquie d'Asie et la Perse, Paris 1809, pp. 121Google Scholar for Istanbul to Erzurum (p. 25 of this book has a moving story reminiscent of Oates and Scott: near Ad Confluentes, Lieutenant Reboul of the Artillery spent a night outside the tents in the freezing snow because he thought he had contracted the plague and did not wish to give it to his friends); Anon, (but by Dupré, M.), Voyage en Perse fait dans les anneés 1807–1808, et 1809…, Paris 1819Google Scholar; and a number of others will be listed in Bryer and Winfield, Pontus, see above fn. 1.

75 The Reverend Van Lennep, H. J., D.D., Travels in little known parts of Asia Minor, London 1870, I, pp. 166–72Google Scholar has an account of Henry Martyn and of the setting up of this obelisk, which was his second monument. Babinger, F. in Mordtmann, A. D., Anatolien, Skizzen und Reisebriefe aus Kleinasien, 18501859Google Scholar, ed. F. Babinger, Hanover, 1925, pp. 463–4 and p. 571, n. 13 has the epitaph and a bibliography of books on Martyn.

76 Smith and Dwight, op. cit., p. 42.

77 J. Brant, op. cit., p. 210–11.