 The first European to reach the lake is said to have been Kurbat Ivanov in 1643.In the past, the Baikal was referred to by many Russians as the "Baikal Sea" (, "More Baikal"), rather than merely "Lake Baikal" (, "Ozero Baikal").This usage is attested already in the "Life" of Protopope Avvakum (1621–1682), and on the late-17th-century maps by Semyon Remezov.