Subject: Re: oldest purely &#39;fiat&#39; international boundary?<br/>
Date: Dec 10, 2001 @ 19:45<br/>
Author: johnfgriffiths (&quot;johnfgriffiths&quot; &lt;johnfrancisgriffiths@...&gt;)<br/>
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<div id="ygrps-yiv-42715873">The (15th? century)Treaty of Tordessillas, dividing the world into <br/>
Spanish and Portugese spheres, may not have given the oldest such <br/>
boundary, but it must be the longest (encircling the globe). <br/>
Hadrian&#39;s Wall certainly has some long straight stretches, <br/>
particularly at the eastern end; where is crosses hillier country it <br/>
does use natural features, marching with the line of crags of the <br/>
Whin Sill outcrops.<br/>
<br/>
<blockquote><span title="qreply"> --- In BoundaryPoint@y..., David Mark &lt;dmark@g...&gt; wrote:<br/>
&gt; <br/>
&gt; What do you think is the oldest example of a purely &quot;fiat&quot; <br/>
international<br/>
&gt; boundary? A purely fiat boudnary is one which is drawn <br/>
independently of<br/>
&gt; any features on the earth&#39;s surface-- a straight line, an arc of a <br/>
circle,<br/>
&gt; etc.  Can anyone give an example of such a boundary from ancient <br/>
times?<br/>
&gt; By international we mean a boundary between two independent <br/>
kingdoms or<br/>
&gt; realms. Negotiated, demarked boudnaries that follow drainage <br/>
divides or<br/>
&gt; rivers don&#39;t count. I suspect that the Romans had them, perhaps <br/>
earlier<br/>
&gt; groups, but cannot cite an example. My colleague suggests that they <br/>
began<br/>
&gt; in the &#39;colonial&#39; period of the last 500-600 years. (The oldest of <br/>
thise<br/>
&gt; would be interesting too.)<br/>
&gt; <br/>
&gt; David </span></blockquote></div>