channels and the mountains themselves conceal untold wealth.
Based on the foregoing, the solution of the problem proposed by G. M. Bongard-Levin and E. A. Grantovsky carries a number of contradictions: Firstly, the Riphean Mountains, Jara and Meru, according to the testimonies of ancient writers, the Scythian tradition, the epic tradition of the Indo-Iranians, should be extended in the latitudinal direction (from west to east), what can not be connected with the Ural Mountains;
Secondly, The Ural Mountains are located east or northeast of the Black Sea Scythia, and not north of it; thirdly, the Urals are not the watershed ridge from which all Scythian rivers originate, he does not divide them into currents to the south and currents to the north.
Hyperborean and Riphean Mountains. Geography of Ptolemy 1480
Hyperborean Mountains. Geography of Ptolemy 1490
Hyperborean Mountains. Geography of Ptolemy 1540
Hyperborean Mountains. Geography Maps of Ptolemy
It probably makes sense to turn once more to ancient sources, all the more so as there is a growing belief among researchers that ancient authors can and should be trusted. So M. V. Agbunov, on the basis of using paleogeography data to study changes in the Black Sea coastline, concludes that «the works of ancient authors are, as a rule, a reliable source and deserve more attention and trust… I would like to emphasize that specific historical and geographical descriptions of ancient authors for the most part are absolutely reliable». Proceeding from this, we turn to such an authoritative source as Claudius Ptolemy’s «Geography» (2nd century AD), where on the map of Asia VII («Geography» of 1540, edited by S. Munster) north of the Caspian Sea and west of the Urals placed mountains called Hyperborean (NURERBOREI MONTES). The same mountains in northern Europe are also on the map to the «Geography» of Ptolemy, published in 1490 in Rome, cited in the book by G. M. Bongard-Levin and E. A. Grantovsky «From Scythia to India», based on which they talk about the mistake of Ptolemy, who placed mountains in the north that are not really there.
In order to find out how accurate the information of Claudius Ptolemy about Eastern Europe was, you can use the map of the European part of the USSR. On the map of Ptolemy there are quite real geographical objects such as the Baltic, Black, and Sea of Azov, as well as the Caspian Sea with the Volga flowing into it, called the Avestan name RHA (this name is also found in the literature in the form of Ra). Here, almost all the more or less significant elevations of Eastern Europe are indicated up to the Southern Urals, which is separated by a considerable distance from the Ptolemy in the north and stretching in the latitudinal direction of the Hyperborean mountains, giving rise to two sources of the sacred river of the ancient Iranians – Rgi or Rakhi. This map already indicates that Ptolemy, and probably the geographers of antiquity long before him, distinguished the Hyperborean (or Riphean) mountains and the Urals, and did not associate them with each other.
Hyperborean and Riphean Mountains. Goa Map 1570
Chapter 5 Northern Uvals
To the question posed: Ptolemy was right or wrong, are there any elevations in the north of Eastern Europe from which the Volga and Kama originate (which the ancients considered as another source of the Volga), the physical map gives an impartial answer – there are such elevations!
These are located in the north-east of the European part of Russia, uniting through the Timan Ridge into a single system with the Subpolar Urals and stretching for 1,700 km from west to east Northern Uvals. Interestingly, Ptolemy in his «Geographical Guide» gives the coordinates of the Hyperborean mountains in northern Europe at about 63—64° N, at the latitude of Northern Uvals.
In his major work Relief of the USSR, published in 1972, one of the largest Soviet geomorphologists Yu. A. Meshcheryakov wrote: «The global watershed bordering the Arctic Ocean basin is most advanced southward, deep into the continent of Eurasia, in the Asian part of the USSR. The maximum distance from the ocean to the watershed is 3000—3500 km. marked on the meridians of Baikal-Yenisei… Crossing the Urals, the watershed line immediately sharply approaches the coast, and within the Northern Uvals hill, the watershed line is only 600—800 km from the coast.»
He further writes that the position of the main watershed of the northern and southern seas on the Russian Plain belongs to the Northern Uvals, and calling them «the main orohydrographic anomaly of the Russian Plain,» notes the paradox that «the highest elevations (Central Russian, Volga), located in the southern part of the plain, are not the main watershed lines, and give way to this role by the unimpressive, relatively low Northern Uvals».
Yu. A. Meshcheryakov also points out which, unlike most of the elevations of the Russian Plain, which have a meridional direction, «the origin of the inversion morphostructure of the Northern Uval remains unclear.This elevation has not a meridional, but a sub-latitudinal direction». Speaking about the «close, organic connection between the undulating deformations of the Urals and the Russian Plain,» he emphasizes that»… from the orographic node of the Three Stones» (Konzhakovsky Stone – 1569 m., Kosvinsky Stone – 1519 m., Denezhkin Stone – 1492 m.) the Timan Ridge departs.This expanded and elevated section of the Urals lies at the latitude of the Northern Uvalov and combines with them into a single latitudinal zone of uplift».
In the same work, the unity of origin of the Northern Uvalov, the Galich and Gryazovets-Danilov Uplands is noted, that is, those latitudinal elevations in the north-east of the European part of Russia that unite the heights of Karelia, Northern Uvals and the Subpolar Urals, in a single arc that part of the ridge that has a north-north-east orientation.
It should be emphasized that the common Ural ridge that we are used to today began to be called so only from the middle of the 18th century (from the Bashkir name of the Southern Urals – Uraltau). The northern part of the Ural Mountains has long been called «Stone» or «Earth’s belt.»
Unlike the South Urals, which stretches from north to south in the meridional direction, the Subpolar Ural (Kamen) is the most elevated and widest part of the Urals, where individual peaks rise more than 1800 m above sea level and the total width of the mountain strip reaches 150 km. (at 65° N), has a northeastern latitudinal direction.
The authors of «Geology of the USSR» (Volume II, Part I) note that «the Urals are highest where it changes its meridional strike to the north-east. All the largest peaks are concentrated here» Saber (1648 m.), Belfry (1700 m.), Karpinsky (1815 m.) And, finally, the highest point of the entire Urals – Mount Narada, elevated 1883 m above sea level. At this point, the Urals reaches its greatest width (more than 150 km.) And is divided into a number of parallel ridges of northeastern strike: Narodo-Itinsky, Exploratory, East Salady, Western Salady, Ob and Voi-Vy-Chugra».
Currently, the highest peak of the Subpolar Urals (and the entire Ural ridge in general) Mount Narada is often called «People’s». This renaming was made in 1927 when, on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the October Revolution, it was «discovered» by the expedition of the AN SSSR and the Uralplan. The expedition employee, geologist L.N. Aleshkov, decided in honor of the anniversary of October to replace the obscure name «Narada» with a simple and clear, derived from the Russian word «Narod – people», the name is «Mount Narodnaya». E. M. Pospelov emphasizes that its local name – Mount Narada-iz inexplicably, because «Iz» in the Komi language means «rock, cliff, stone, mountain», and the meaning of the word «Narada» is currently unknown. In this regard, it makes sense to remember that the great ascetic, who was allowed to see the Creator himself