Abstract
In this article, some theoretical and methodological problems of the auxiliary discipline “Historical cartography” are examined in the context of the study of cartographic materials on the history of Kazakhstan in the ХVIII and early ХХcenturies. It is noted that a complex interdisciplinary approach to the wide interaction of the humanities and natural sciences is the methodological basis for the effective use of the old cartographic material. It has been revealed that for the most productive study and use of old maps, it is necessary, if possible, to fully identify all available cartographic materials for specific problems. It is established that cartographic materials on the history of Kazakhstan XVIII – early XX centuries should be studied not as an isolated part, but as part of the cartography of a certain era in all its interrelations and interdependencies with the development of related fields of knowledge (ethnology, archeology, history, geography, astronomy, navigation, geodesy, polygraphy, etc.) economic and political conditions, without which it is impossible to make a qualified interpretation of sources of this type.