1877 Petermann Map of the Middle East and Central Asia During the Great Game

This is a scarce and unusual 1877 Augustus Petermann map of the Middle East and Central Asia at the height of The Great Game, a decades-long diplomatic duel between the British and Russian Empires. Detailing the entire theater of war, the map's polyconic projection covers from the Balkans to British India; Crimea to the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean. The Russian Empire stretches across the top of the map, an ever-expanding threat to countries to the south with deep water ports on the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean. Throughout the 19th century, the Russian drive southward led to several wars with Persia and Turkey, which also embroiled British and French interests, staging Russia as 'the great enemy'.

The Great Game - The Struggle for Afghanistan

'The Great Game' was a diplomatic confrontation between the British and Russian Empires over Afghanistan and other territories in Central and Southern Asia. The conflict, rooted in long-standing animosity between Russia and Britain, revolved around Afghanistan, which, while lacking significant resources of its own, was strategically situated. For its part, Russia feared Britain was making commercial and military inroads into Central Asia, an area long within the sphere of influence of St. Petersburg. Britain, conversely, feared Russia making gains in India, 'the jewel in the crown' of British Asia. The escalating tensions led to several wars and proxy wars: The First Anglo-Afghan War (1839 - 1842), the First Anglo-Sikh War (1845 - 1846), the Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848 - 1849), and the Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878 - 1880), along with the Russian annexations of Khiva, Bukhara, and Kokand. Then as now, Afghanistan proved a grinding stone upon which the world's great empires diminished themselves, none achieving a definitive victory despite committing staggering resources. The Great Game ended on September 10, 1895 with the signing of the Pamir Boundary Commission Protocols, which stabilized the border between Afghanistan and the Russian Empire.

Verso Content – A Look at the 19th Century Map Market

An address, postage stamp, Gotha postmark, and numerous Cammerstein postmarks on the verso provide some insight into the map's history. The publisher, Perthes, was based in Gotha, so it is likely this map was mailed directly to a client - curiously without even an envelope. Such underscores the low value placed on printed maps, which while having immediate informational value, were considered 'items of the moment' to be used and discarded.

Publication History and Census

This map was created by Augustus Petermann and published by Justus Perthes in 1877. Nine examples are catalogued in the OCLC and are part of the institutional collections at the University of Oklahoma, the University of London Senate House Library, the British Library, the Bibliothèque national de France, the State Library of Württemburg, and university libraries in Bremen, Hamburg, and Erfurt.