Northern Eurasia in Medieval Cartography: Inventory, Texts, Translation, and Commentary

Scythia and the islands in the ocean, the farthest northern and northeastern regions of the world known to ancient and medieval geographers, roughly correspond to modern-day Scandinavia, Russia, eastern Europe, and central Asia. Those areas figured prominently in cartography of the Middle Ages. The mythical island of Scandza, the land of the Amazons, the apocalyptic tribes of Gog and Magog, and other traditional symbols of chaos and barbarity existed side by side and often merged with new kno…