Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article has always been a major trading centre and an important fortress with a remarkably stormy history are railway junctions and industrial centres Chris Biggers is a public and private sector consultant based in Washington Left: DigitalGlobe imagery of the S-200 site in Polatsk dated April 2015 / Right: September 2013 Belarus has partially converted the S-200 surface-to-air missile site at Polatsk to support the highly capable S-300 system As NATO beefs up contingency planning for the Baltic States in order to deter any potential aggression, plans for a Joint Regional Air Defense system between Belarus and Russia continue to show signs of progress DigitalGlobe space snapshots from 2015 show new “C” shaped drive-through revetments and a raised berm for a mobile engagement radar at the S-200 site at Polatsk The conversion of the SAM site’s northern launch area has been ongoing since 2014 still had all six 5P72 semi-fixed rail launcher in place with two 5V28 missiles loaded A single 5N62 Square Pair radar remained at the nearby bunker complex Russia has said for the past several years that it was ready to send close allies like Belarus additional S-300 systems. Kazakhstan was also reported in December to have received further batteries Recent satellite imagery however offers the first tangible signs that the resurgent power may be following through with statements that echo as far back as 2011 DigitalGlobe satellite imagery of the S-300 site in Polatsk from 12 April 2015 (link to Google Maps) we don’t know if the Polatsk unit is a recently delivered S-300 battalion from Russia or if this is a jumped Belarusian S-300 system We currently haven’t acquired a full set of imagery of all current S-300 units deployed in Belarus located approximately 80 kilometers from the Latvian border will help increase overlapping fields of fire with existing S-300 deployed north and northeast of Minsk Those battalions were in residence as of October 2015 9 missing after capsized boat washes ashore near San Diego Northeast: Days of showers and storms for some Halley's Comet to set off meteor shower Monday night Soggy South Central states: Intense downpours to renew flooding risk Two people killed when small plane crashes into California homes Staffing shortage causes 7 days of major delays at Newark Airport Coyote drinks from Los Angeles salon's skylight The REAL ID deadline is less than a week away Fungi could be used to build homes one day Get AccuWeather alerts as they happen with our browser notifications Recruitment among others: a colored reproduction of the original map by Stanisław Pachołowiecki printed in Rome in 1580 It focuses on the military aspects of maps their political and propaganda use and the construction of political discourse often conducted hundreds of years after their creation It also describes the circumstances surrounding the creation of the oldest atlas showing a fragment of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth "The authors present an innovative approach to these maps rarely explored by the international research community" - we read on the Brill publishing house website the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania recaptured the Lithuanian fortress of Polock (now Belarus) captured over fifteen years earlier by the Muscovite army the importance of visual information increased - the map became the most modern tool in political propaganda at that time The King and Chancellor Jan Zamoyski decided to use cartography to illustrate their successes against the Tsar of Moscow and gain the support of European public opinion in the fight against Moscow they decided to adapt the military maps of the campaign The whole thing was compiled by Stanisław Pachołowiecki He made a breakthrough by scaling the fortress plans onto the map of the entire Principality of Polatsk Instead of symbolically showing the location on the map it showed miniatures of fortifications which were also published in the same series They were printed in Rome in 1580 as a coherent set of eight copperplate engravings depicting the military operations of Polish-Lithuanian troops creating the "Atlas of the Duchy of Polatsk" - reminds UwB professor Karol Łopatecki He adds that the original map by Stanisław Pachołowiecki printed in Rome in 1580 and used as one of the propaganda means of the royal chancellery they were placed in books with a strictly defined and propaganda character references to this work can be found in contemporary Polish graphic novels or on Belarusian coins the cartographic work fulfills a similar function to those from 445 years ago propaganda narrative about the history of Belarus and Poland (incidentally excluding Lithuania) and about the lasting conflict with the Russian (Moscow) state It can be expected that maps of the siege of Polatsk will continue to appear in both textual and iconographic popular representations of the history of Belarus There are two reasons why this map is still relevant The first is the symbolic importance of Polatsk for the national historiography of Poland the Principality of Polatsk is the cradle of their statehood This is why the city is so often depicted on Belarusian coins and medals The second reason why the view from the siege of Polatsk was/is so attractive is its cartographic nature The map is one of the most effective carriers of propaganda and information content and its persuasive properties are exceptionally strong and durable The message embedded in a map can be attractive and valuable to the user even long after the intentions of its authors are lost in time and the map becomes outdated - The example of Pachołowiecki's map like other maps from the 16th century proves that they retained their rhetorical potential It can be quickly activated and used when needed This is possible not only because the map itself has such wonderful properties but activating its message is possible because modern users read the map in a similar way to its original users The cartographic language is evolving but it is still based on rules taken from ancient Ptomeleusz These rules can be called cartographic topoi placing important elements in the center and less important ones on the periphery using color and shape giving priority to elements with different sizes of symbols and lettering and finally looking from God's perspective so characteristic of Renaissance humanism The rhetoric of the map established in the 16th century is therefore still understandable to us Just like the Atlas of the Duchy of Polatsk published in Rome in 1580 - adds a scientist from the University of Białystok The publication „The Mapping of a Russian War: The Atlas of the Principality of Polatsk by Stanisław Pałachowiecki (1580)” is available in the digital version but there will also be paper copies of the author’s works +48 85 745 70 00 uniwersytet@uwb.edu.pl The bottom of a pot with the personal coat of arms of Prince Izyaslau of Polatsk was found during excavations near Minsk not far from the museum "Old Mensk" in Haradzishcha The find is dated to the end of the 10th - beginning of the 11th century Izyaslau is the son of Rahneda and Uladzimir Svyataslavich the grandfather of Polatsk prince Usyaslau Charadzei At the end of the X century Uladzimir founded a new town in the land of Polatsk - Izyaslaul (now Zaslauie) Izyaslau's trident became the coat of arms of Zaslauie The road from Zaslauie to Minsk is not so long The find may be related to the period of the prince's stay in this city The creator of the "Old Mensk" Hleb Labadzenka says that the bottom of the pot will soon be exhibited in the museum and will be available for tourists to see Become a journalist!Report topic! 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