GEOGRAPHERS OF BARSOOM
Barsoomian Geography is a tricky thing with many pitfalls for
the unwary. Although distances between cities are often given
in Martian measurements or travel time, there is a complete lack of an
adequate reference point. Exum is described as the Barsoomian
Greenwich, but where is Exum? Its location is, at best, imprecise.
Certainly Earthly cartography of Mars does not use Exum as a starting point.
It must also be remembered that the original narrators were translating
Martian terms and concepts, and Martian geography into English.
As John Carter and others discovered to the chagrin, even tiny errors could
cumulatively result in major deviations. Accordingly, we must
expect some degree of error in translating Martian measurements to Earth
terms. By the same token a reference to an equator may be taken as
either a specific point, a hypothetical midline of the planet, or as a
broad regional belt.
To render travel distances and relationships on a circular globe
involves complex referential mathematics. Current Terrestrial
society uses a global system of latitude and longitude, but there are hypothetically
other systems. We do not know to what extent a Martian system
matches the terrestrial system, or what degrees of errors may creep in
having even educated laymen translate one system into another.
Edgar Rice Burroughs drew crude maps to locate his John Carter's adventures,
but he was not a cartographer. Moreover, his work constitutes entirely
a second hand account. He was not the source, rather, he related
tales told by John Carter. Accordingly, as a dedicated and
prolific scribe, he may be forgiven for the occasional error.
In the 1940's a substantially more elaborate map was drafted,
intended to overlay ERB's Barsoom over the map of Mars as it was known
then. That original Map of Mars has turned out to be highly
inaccurate, and so the superimposition of Barsoomian locations must be
taken as equally inaccurate. In fact, the most compelling thing
about the 1940's map is that it was an attempt, and it was clearly ERB’s
intention to superimpose Barsoom onto Martian geography.
A second attempt to superimpose Barsoomian onto Martian geography
took place in 1998. It represents an astonishing amount of
work, but sadly, it led the author to conclude that Barsoom and Mars were
two different and unrelated worlds. His map contained numerous
anomalies such as placing the Toonolian marshes in the Tharsis mound, surrounded
by and atop shield volcanoes - just about the most unlikely spot on the
planet.
One major mistake of these previous maps was to assume that the
central points of reference were the same. The Barsoomian Globe
has Exum as its zero reference point. That's pretty damned arbitrary.
The current Martian maps are not based on a fictional Exum, but start with
their own arbitrary reference points. There’s no chance of
those reference points matching.
So, the bottom line is that in attempting to match Barsoomian
and Martian geography, we have to consider Burroughs maps, latitudes and
longitudes and distances as merely rough guides, and not definitive points.
And we cannot make the mistake of assuming that terrestrial mapping of
Mars uses the same reference points.
