THE CATEGORY OF SPACE THROUGH THE EYES OF PARTICIPANTS IN THE FIRST RUSSIAN CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF 1803-1806

Kravtsov Lev Maksimovich

This article aims to reconstruct one component of the worldview of the participants in the first Russian circumnavigation (1803-1806): their conceptions of space. The sources for this reconstruction are the memoirs and diaries of the expedition's participants. Analyzing the written legacy of the navigators has allowed for the identification of a boundary separating one's own space from the foreign. The work focuses on events (such as crossing the equator and rounding Cape Horn) that reveal specific features of spatial perception. Cases where initial perceptions of various visited localities changed are noted. An archaic layer within the spatial perception of the voyage's participants is demonstrated; however, it is emphasized that their view was primarily scientific. The outcome of the research can be considered the identification of three layers within the eclectic mental map that guided the travelers during the expedition.

Keywords:the first Russian circumnavigation (1803-1806), a picture of the world, worldview, space.