Starajitnaia Rusi y XIII stahoddzi - The Ancient Rus c.13th cent.
from Histariitsnii Atlas Belarusi, Minsk 2004
Here
are the approximate borders of the countries existing in the 13th
century between Neman and Dnieper area together with arrows showing the
Mongol invasion. At the centre of the picture, the territory of 20th
century Belarus appears.
Such a map could lead the reader to believe that medieval people had in
mind the aim of giving birth to a state called Belarus, while the
contrary is true. The creation of Belarus took place in the 20th
century after a long evolution involving several neighbours and this
map is a subsequent justification of this evolution.