The Secret History of the Mongols: Open Space Terms in the Context of Historical Geography. Images and Localization

Abstract

Goals. The paper aims to reveal open space-related toponyms traced in The Secret History of the Mongols, and localize the sites. Materials. Investigation of spaces once reclaimed by Mongolic peoples is quite a topical issue in the history of nomadic communities. And a key stage in the Inner Asian expansion of Mongols depicted in The Secret History of the Mongols is of special significance for historical geography. The vast open spaces nowadays associated with Mongols proper had not actually been their indigenous territories. Names of open spaces known in the era of Genghis Khan and his military activities have been lost, and it is difficult enough to identify the former on present-day maps. The two terms related to open spaces in The Secret History of the Mongols are keer (‘steppe’) and belchir (‘confluence point’). Conclusions. The work reveals Mongols preferred areas with mosaic landscapes that would include both elevations and steppe plains. The Orkhon River valley — crossroads of steppe arterial roads to have served as historical headquarters to earlier nomadic empires — was inhabited by Mongols only after polyethnic Inner Asian communities were united by Genghis Khan. The article presents a number of original hypotheses dealing with localization of several sites mentioned in the written monument.