Географические рекогносцировки римской армии

Abstract

Статья посвящена исследованию географических рекогносцировок, проводившихся римской армией. Главным образом, речь идет об экспедициях времени классической и поздней Республики и Принципата. During the life of a few generations the Roman society could widen the horizons of its outlook beyond the limits of the civilized world by constant territorial expansion. At the same time, the geographical component of the Roman ideas of the world became complicated also. The matter here was not so much in banal curiosity of citizens or ambitions of commanders who saw their mission in realization of idea of «world supremacy» (though it had played a certain role), but in necessity to protect the borders and to maintain stability of the existing order. The periods of Republic and early Empire were an epoch of the geographical discoveries that had paved the way to conquests, cultural interaction and economic integration. From time to time the expeditions were sent in different directions to find out unknown people and to reconnoiter their potential. Geographical reconnaissance and cartography allowed emperors to plan foreign policy of the Roman state. There existed some global vision of the world by the end of Augustus rule. Stabilization of borders by the Late Principate did not exactly mean the completion of geographical reconnaissance but the weakening of interest to it, because from the second century A.D. the government was preoccupied with repulsing attacks of the Parthians and various coalitions of Germanic tribes and, then, with resolving the problems of the general crisis of the third century.