Evolution of Settlement along the Coastal Strip of the Ob-Enisey Waterway in Ob-Irtysh Basin Late in the 17th and Early 20th Centuries

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this work is to reconstruct and analyze the evolution of settlement in the Ob-Irtysh basin late in the 17th and early 20th centuries.

Design/methodology/approach: The methodology is based on a comparative analysis and geoinformation referencing of four groups of historical sources: maps by S.U. Remezov (1697–1711), travel descriptions by G.F. Miller (1730s–1740s), ordnance survey documents (late 18th early 19th centuries), and maps of the Ministry of Transport (late 19th early 20th centuries).

Research findings: Quantitative and typological characteristics of the settlement network for four chronological periods are reconstructed. According to Remezov, the total number of recorded settlements decreases from 561 to 332 (by the end of the 19th century), reflecting a qualitative restructuring, rather than depopulation. The proportion of Russian settlements fluctuates between 55 and 65 %, and that of indigenous settlements between 35 and 45%, demonstrating a stable ethnic balance. The evolution of hierarchy is traced through the village (selo): hamlet (derevnya) ratio, which changes from 1:43 at the beginning of the 18th century to 1:3 at the end of the 19th century, indicating the formation of a mature two-level settlement structure.

Originality/value: Over two centuries, the settlement system evolved from the primary, point-based development, recorded in Remezov's fractional data, to the creation of a stable, hierarchically organized structure, legally formalized during the ordnance survey and rigidly tied to the water transport infrastructure by the end of the 19th century.