Ras Thavas' Laboratory |
Artollian Hills - An extensive range of hills surrounding the city of Duhor. Some of its peaks are snow covered.
Barsoom - The planet Mars as named by its inhabitants.
Carrion Caves - A series of 27 connecting caves which form the only passage beneath the ice barrier and lead from the to the arctic land of Okar. A former river bed, they now serve as both a charnel-house for the Okarians and a lair for the savage white-furred apts.
Cluros - Barsoomian name for the further moon, known to us as Deimos.
Cosoom - Barsoomian name for the planet Venus.
Domnia - One of the major kingdoms of Ladan, or Thuria(the nearer moon). It lies far across the mountains from Tarid.
Duhor - A city-state in the Artolian Hills. It is ruled by its jeddak, Kor San, father of Valla Dia, who married Vad Varo, otherwise known as Ulysses Paxton of the U.S.A.
Dusar - A powerful northern nation in Barsoom's western hemisphere with the capital of the same name. It is noted for its fine honey. Nutus, father of prince Astok, is jeddak.
Eurobus - The planet Jupiter, in the language of its natives.
Exum - A center of unknown size, on the equator at the prime meridian. The Barsoomian Greenwich. It may be nothing more than a building containing scientific equipment.
Forest of Lost Men, The - One of the rare wooded areas of Barsoom. It contains, among other things, skeel, sorapus, and sompus trees. It shelters two cities, Invak and Onvak, that are constantly at war with each other.
Garobus - The planet Mars in the language of the Jovians.
Gathol - A small but wealthy nation, the capital city of Gathol, thought to be the oldest inhabited city upon Barsoom, is built upon a mountain surrounded by a salt marsh. Beyond this is a fertile plain, to the west of which is a barren land of crags and canyons that are virtually impassible. The mountains, which was formerly an island in the Throxeus Ocean, is famous for its diamond mines. It's jed is Gahan, husband of Tara of Helium, and father of Llana of Gathol.
Ghasta - A small walled city deep in the crater of an extinct volcano, on the bank of the river Syl. The crater, known as the Valley Hohr, is forested and inhabited by huge spiders. Ghron, its mad jed, delights in torturing and maiming its hapless subjects.
Golden Cliffs, The - 5000 foot high, perpendicular cliffs that surround the Valley Dor. They form the inner boarder of the Otz Mountains, which ring the south pole of Barsoom. The face of the cliffs are veined with solid gold and studded with outcroppings of ruby, emerald, and diamond boulders. The cliffs are honeycombed with caves that stretch deep into the base of the mountains.
Gooli - A village of thatched huts on the island of Ompt, a lake in the Great Toonolian Marshes. Its jed Anatok, and its inhabitants are oviparous marsupials. The Goolians are ignorant, vain, and cowardly.
Gulf of Torquas - Now a moss covered valley. Its waters once connected Torquas and Xanator.
Hastor - A Heliumatic city noted for its ship building. It serves the empire of Helium as a bastion against the savage Thurds.
Helium - The greatest nation on Barsoom. Its boundaries extend from the southern ice fields, where water is obtained for its canals, to and beyond the equator; and from the borders of Torquas in the west to an undefined frontier far to the east. Strongly guarded farms border the vital canals, their crops and herds eventually finding their way to the numerous cities scattered across the nation. Various 'dead' cities lie within the boundaries as does the great Atmosphere Plant. Almost always at war, it has built up the most formidable navy on Barsoom. This navy also is used for charting the air currents and taking atmospheric density tests, this being necessary for the maintenance of the air supply on Barsoom. Several small forests, hills, valleys, and mines provide the empire with all manner of goods. The Capital of the Heliumatic Empire is unique in that it consists of two immense, circular, walled cities, some 75 miles apart (click here for a picture). They can be identified by two lofty towers -- one of vivid scarlet, rising nearly a mile into the air from the center of Greater Helium, while the other, of bright yellow and of the same height, marks her sister, Lesser Helium. The two cities are connected by a subterranean system with pneumatic stations at each end, carrying passengers in tubes with the speed of a bullet. Tardos Mors, Jeddak of Helium, rules his empire from Greater Helium and his son, Mors Kajak, is Jed of Lesser Helium. John Carter, Prince of Helium and Warlord of Barsoom, maintains a palace in each city.
| The Gate of Jeddaks is the main entrance to Greater Helium and it opens onto the broad, moss-cushioned Avenue of Ancestors, which stretches five miles into the heart of the city, terminating in a huge plaza fronting the great Temple of Reward. It is in this magnificent structure that heroes are honored, servants rewarded, and criminals punished. Such individuals are led up the aisle of Hope to the Pedestal of Truth, where they stand before the Throne of Righteousness; and here they are judged. Enormous buildings house Helium's fighting forces and the roofs serve as aerial docks for the naval ships of the fleet, smaller buildings serving as docks for freighters and commercial craft. Private homes are built upon slender metal columns upon which they are raised into the air at night, mainly to avoid assassins. In most cases only the sleeping compartments are raised, but for the rich, they usually use hired guards. Assassination is very prevalent upon mars, yet thievery is almost non-existent. These cities are beautiful to behold with their gardens and stone walks and ramps to lush balconies. |  |
Horz - Capital city of Barroom's greatest nation of a million years ago. At that time it was the seat of learning and culture of the then-dominate white-skinned Orovars. It is believed that it was, in all respects, the focal point to which all others turned on Barsoom.
Illall - One of the Domed cities of Okar, and the most remote from Kadabra, its capital.
Invak - A city in the Forest of Lost Men. Its people have developed a pill which, when taken, makes them invisible for about a day. Their jeddak is Ptantus. They are in a constant state of war with Onvak.
Iss, the River - Also known as the River of Death and the River of Mystery. It is said to flow the length of Barsoom, mostly underground, passing under the Otz Mountains and emptying into the Lost Sea of Korus in the Valley Dor. At certain points there are places that boats can be had for those that wish to make the final pilgrimage to the Barsoomian Elysium.
Jahar - A nation of red men, its late jeddak, Tul Axtar, was best known for his harem of beautiful women, said to number in the thousands. U-Gor, a southern providence, was once a rich agricultural area until overpopulation destroyed the land.
Jasoom - Barsoomian name for Earth.
Jhama - An ancient, isolated castle. It was recently occupied by the Jaharian scientist, Phor Tak, inventor of the flying death.
Kadabra - The capital city of Okar, the arctic nation of yellow men. The city is covered by a large glass dome spanning a circumference of 100 miles.
Kamtol - A city of the Black Pirates, in the valley of the First Born. A truly beautiful city of some 200,000 inhabitants.
Kaol - A small but powerful nation of red men, it lies in a natural depression that is completely forested, a rare feature on the dying planet. The capital city of Kaol and its surrounding cities are extremely isolated and very loyal to their jeddak, Kulan Tith.
Kobol - A little-known city-state, it was sacked 14 years prior to the "Tul Axtar Incident" by the Fleets of Helium.
Korad - One of the greatest of the pre-draught cities of Barsoom. Long deserted, it was once a busy seaport. Bordering its central plaza is a magnificent building of white marble inlaid with gold and gems. Its inner walls are decorated with murals and mosaics of a dead world, long gone.
Korus, the Lost Sea of - The only large body of water left upon the surface of Barsoom. Located at the south pole, it occupies most of the Valley Dor, surrounded by the ice capped Otz Mountains. The mighty River Iss drains into the Korus, which in turn drains into the underground Sea of Omean.
Ladan - Name given by its inhabitants to Thuria, the nearer moon of Barsoom.
Land of Lost Souls, the - A narrow band of fertile land at the base of the Otz Mountains. Cut off from the outside world by the great ice field, it has become the inescapable home of those souls who grew apprehensive while traveling the River Iss and decided not to enter the Valley Dor.
Lothar (a) - One of the greatest seaports of ancient Barsoom and home to the mightiest fleet ever to sail upon the Throxeus and her four sister oceans. Its location was never given.
Lothar (b) - A walled city in an enclosed valley in the Mountains of Torquas. When the oceans dried up, the pacifistic Lotharians fled in panic before the savage green hordes. Millions died, including all the women, in their terrible trek across half a world. Only 20,000 lived to reach the hidden valley and build their new Lothar. Today only a few hundred are left, under their jeddak, Tario.
Manataj - One of the three principal cities of the nation of Manator.
Manator - Isolated from the rest of the world, the nation of Manator has remained in the past, having neither firearms or aircraft. It is famed for its Jetan fields where the game is played with living pieces. The capital city of the same name is famed for its Hall of Chiefs. Here the embalmed bodies of departed jeds and Jeddaks are arrayed in full battle dress. Its current jeddak is A-Kor.
Manatos - The second most important city in Manator. It is ruled by U-Thor, who is known as the Great Jed.
Marentina - Principality of Okar. Self-supporting and isolated from the rest of the kingdom, it maintains its own atmosphere plant. Its jed is Talu, who after rebelling against the former jed, became the leader of the yellow race.
Masena - Tree-dwelling cat-men that live in the forests of Ladan.
Morbus - Once a city of the ancients, it was rebuilt by Ras Thavas as a laboratory for conducting experiments in the evolution of synthetic human life. It was totally destroyed by firebombs from the Heliumatic armada.
Morgor City - The capital city of the Morgors, or the skeleton men of Jupiter. It is a drab, militaristic place built of volcanic rock.
Mountains of Torquas - A sprawling mountain range in the land of the Torquas, a southern green horde.
Okar - Occupying most of the north polar region and isolated from the outside world by a mighty ice barrier , it is the home of the yellow men of Barsoom. It has three major providence's each with a principal, domed city -- Kadabra, Marentina, Illall.
Ombra - A nation on Thuria, the nearer moon of Barsoom.
Omean, the Sea of - A subterranean ocean some five or six haads beneath the crust of the south polar region. It is feed by the Sea of Korus above and is home to the Black Pirates of the first born. Entrance is gained from a long tunnel through an extinct volcano in the polar ice cap. There are also man made passages leading to the Temple of Issus from the shore. The massive cavern is lit by phosphorescent rock and is home to many island of which one, Shador, serves as a prison.
Ompt - An island in the Toonolian Marshes, it is also the home to the nation of Gooli.
Onvak - A city in the Forest of Lost Men. Its people have developed a pill which, when taken, makes them invisible for about a day. They are in a constant state of war with Invak.
Otz Mountains - A mountain range encircling the Valley Dor and the Lost Sea of Korus. Its inner edge is known as the Golden Cliffs and its outer edge slops away into foothills. They are strongly fortified by the Therns, both without and within, via tunnels.
Otz Valley - An enormous depression taking in almost the entire south polar region, including the Otz Mountains and the Valley Dor.
Panar - Located in the north polar region, it is home to the only red men living under the protective domed cities of the north. The capital city of Pankor was formerly the seat of Hin Abtol, an insane jeddak with plans to conquer the planet until John Carter intervened. Hin Abtol had perfected some means of freezing humans and then bringing them back to life.
Pankor - The capital city of Panar, much smaller than any of the other domed cities of the yellow men.
Phundahl - A city-state in the western extremity of the Great Toonolian Marshes. Its people are self centered and aloof and have little contact with other nations. Phundahlians worship the god Tur instead of the Goddess Issus like most other Barsoomians. The priesthood rules the citizenry through fear and the oppression of learning. Xaxa was the former jeddara until Dar Tarus succeeded her.
| Ptarth - Possibly the second most powerful nation on Barsoom. Its border stretch from the Artolian Hills in the east to the Toonolian Marshes, south to the equator, east to the boundaries of Kaol, and west to the canals of Duhor. The Capital of the same name is seat to the jeddak, Thuvan Dihn, who rules from the Palace of Peace. He is father of Thuvia of Ptarth, wife of Carthoris of Helium, who is the son of John Carter and Dejah Thoris. Ptarth is noted for its wines. |  |
Raxar - A small nation of red men which was sacked by Hin Abtol on his way to conquer Gathol.
Sasoom - The Barsoomian name for the planet Jupiter.
Shador - An island near the north shore of the Sea of Omean used as a prison by the First Born.
Syl, the River - A great underground stream flowing beneath the city of Tjanath and through the Valley Hohr. Very likely a tributary of the River Iss and perhaps even the same river that flows beneath Manator.
Tarid - Once a powerful nation on Thuria, or Ladan as the Natives call it. Its citizens now number about 1000 and it consists of a walled castle on the banks of a river. They are sun-worshippers and their jeddak is Ul-Vas.
Thurd - A district controlled by green men of the same name.
Thuria - Barsoomian name for Phobos, the nearer moon of Mars.
Tjanath - A city noted for "The Death", a unique method of execution where the condemned is lowered into a pit beneath the palace, not knowing what waits below. Its jed is Haj Osis.
Toonol - A city-state in the eastern extremity of the Great Toonolian Marshes. Its jeddak is Vobis Kan. It was, until recently, the home of Ras Thavas, the Master Mind of Mars. Although aloof to the rest of Barsoom, the Toonolians are a modern people, philosophical, truthful, aesthetic, and very scientific.
Toonolian Marshes, the Great - The last great remnant of the mighty oceans that once covered the majority of Barsoom. The land is a marshy jungle filled with stone outcroppings and home to a myriad of savage creatures and aboriginal societies.
Torquas - One of the most magnificent of the deserted cities of the ancients, it is now home to the tribe of green warriors of the same name. It encompasses a large area and is ruled by the jeddak, Hortan Gur.
U-Gor - A province of Jahar. Due to overpopulation, what was once fertile land is now a waste land. The mad Tul Axtar desired to take over the world and so created a vast army. As the food ran out starvation set in and soon cannibalism.
Valley Dor, the - A fertile valley at the south pole of Barsoom, entirely surrounded by the inner cliffs of the Otz Mountains. In its center lies the Lost Sea of Korus, fed by the River Iss. Here also will be found the Golden Temple of Issus, home of the black skinned first born. The valley has a tropical environment and a summer twice as long as earth's. The floor of the valley is covered by a scarlet, grass-like vegetation that is kept neatly trimmed by the hideous plant men. The towering trees are dwarfed only by the Golden Cliffs themselves. White apes and brilliant, voiceless birds roam the valley. This was believed to be the literal heaven of the after life by most Barsoomians until John Carter exposed the secrets behind the false religion of Issus.
Valley of the First Born, the - A long chasm some two miles deep and ten miles wide. Formerly a sea floor chasm, it is now well forested with many streams and a small lake. Its inhabitants are a branch of the black-skinned First Born, under their jeddak, Doxus. Their capital is Kamtol.
Warhoon - One of the many dead cities of Barsoom, it is now home to a tribe of green men bearing the same name and represents a large territory. The tribe is actually split into two tribes, the Warhoons of the north, under their jeddak, Dak Kova, and the Warhoons of the south, under Kab Kadja.
Xanator - Once a great seaport on the west coast of the Gulf of Torquas, it is now another deserted city, a stopover for the roving green hordes.
Zanor - An island on the planet Sasoom, or Jupiter, and home to the blue skinned Savators. A small rugged country with mountains twenty miles high.
Zodanga - Formerly a mighty kingdom of its own, it is now part of the Empire of Helium. Than Kosis was jeddak until he was defeated by John Carter, and was then replaced by Zat Arrras by Helium. The Capital, by the same name, has walls 75 feet high and 50 feet thick and is constructed of enormous blocks of carborundum. The city was almost completely gutted by those green hordes temporarily allied with John Carter during his first year on Barsoom, but was later restored to its former magnificence. Zodanga is also known for its Assassins Guild.
Zor - A small city-state, formerly an enemy, it was recently conquered and made part of the Heliumatic Empire.
Linear Measurement: Through the efforts of various students of the canon, the tables that Carter gave to Burroughs have been updated and corrected. Presented here are the tables as they should read.
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Time: The Barsoomian day is approximately 24 hours 37minutes long, Earth time. Their day starts at the equivalent to our 6:00 am. and is divided into 10 equal parts. These are divided further into 50 shorter parts, each of which is then broken into 200 more parts, each roughly equal to our 'second'. Presented here are pictures of some Barsoomian wrist-watches and a wall clock. So, the Barsoomian/Earth time table reads thus;
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Also found amongst ERB's notes where the following terms and measurements, though they do not appear in any of the novels.
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Money: There are only three types of coins in circulation upon Barsoom, and they are dull and oval metal. Paper money may be issued by individuals, like we would write a check, and this must be redeemed twice a year. If the individual should issue more than he can redeem, the government pays his debts and he is forced to work out the amount of indebtedness on the government run farms or mines.
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Numbers: The following meager table of number names is all that can be compiled from the data contained in the chronicles, and even it is partially guess work.
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Burroughs indicates that there are more tables, but states that they were turned over -- with other scientific data -- to members of the International Astronomic Society for their perusal and study. Where these priceless papers and documents are now should be of the utmost concern.
