THE IMPACT OF THE WATER ROUTES OF NOVGOROD AND NORTHEASTERN RUS' ON THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT OF THE TRANSVOLGA IN THE 12TH-14TH CENTURIES

On the basis of early chronicles, statutes, and maps, as well as toponyms, the author retraces the river routes and portages used by Novgorodian and Rostov-Suzdalian tribute collectors, traders, and soldiers travelling from the upper reaches of the Volga to the White Sea slope in the 12th-14th centuries. He also indirectly assesses the negative and positive impact of these waterways on the physical environment on the basis of artifacts and logic. (The translation was prepared by James R. Gibson of York University, Toronto).