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In 1894, Imperial Russia opened one of the world's leading centres for Byzantine archaeology in Istanbul, the Russian Archaeological Institute - its purpose was to stake the claim that Russia was the correct heir to ?Tsargrad' (as Istanbul was referred to in Russian circles). Pinar Ure looks at the founding of the Russian Archaeological Institute, its aims and its place in the ?digging-race' which characterised the late Imperial phase of modern history. Above all she shows how the practise of history has been used as a political tool, a form of "soft power".
List of contents
Introduction: Regenerating Distant Past: Nationalist and Imperialist Uses of Ancient History in the 19th Century
Chapter 1: Double-Headed Eagle Over Russia: Russian Appreciation of the Byzantine Heritage
1.1. Fyodor Ivanovich Uspenskii: The Making of a Russian Byzantinist
1.2. The Development of Archaeology and Byzantine Studies in the Russian Empire
1.3. From Russian to Ottoman Shores: The Attraction of the Black Sea as a Repository of Byzantine Monuments
1.4. The Image of Byzantium in Russian Thought in the Late 19th Century
Chapter 2: Archaeology in the Ottoman Empire: Cultural Property as a Symbol of Sovereignty
2.1. Byzantine Studies in the Ottoman Empire
Chapter 3: At the Intersection of Science and Politics: Russian Archaeological Institute in the Ottoman Empire
3.1. Russians in the Holy Land: Imperial Palestinian Orthodox Society (IPPO)
3.2. The Establishment of the Russian Archaeological Institute in Constantinople (RAIK)
Chapter 4: Expeditions of the Russian Archaeological Institute and Contacts with Ottoman Authorities
4.1. Studies in Istanbul
Chapter 5: On the Eve of the Balkan Wars: Archaeology in the Midst of Political Unrest
5.1. The Establishment of the Slavic Department within RAIK
Chapter 6: The Doom of Empires: The Fate of the Russian Archaeological Institute After 1914
Conclusion
Suggestions for Further Reading
Bibliography
Index
About the author
Pinar Ure completed her PhD in 2014 under the supervision of Professor Dominic Lieven at the LSE. She received her MA from the University of Pennsylvania. She is currently She is currently a lecturer at TOBB University of Economics and Technology, Turkey.
Summary
There is a long-held feeling in Russia that Moscow is the true heir to the Christian Byzantine Empire. In 1894, Imperial Russia opened one of the world’s leading centres for Byzantine archaeology in Istanbul, the Russian Archaeological Institute – its purpose was to stake the claim that Russia was the correct heir to ‘Tsargrad’ (as Istanbul was referred to in Russian circles).
This then is the history of that institute, and the history of Russia’s efforts to reclaim its Middle East – events since in the Crimea, Syria and Georgia are all, to some extent, wrapped up in this historical framework. Ure looks at the founding of the Russian Archaeological Institute, its aims, and its place in the ‘digging-race’ which characterised the late Imperial phase of modern history. Above all, she shows how the practise of history has been used as a political tool, a form of "soft power".
Additional text
The book offers a thoroughly researched, well organized, and highly readable examination of imperial Russia’s involvements in recovering the material culture of Byzantium during the waning years of the Ottoman Empire. Thee ideological motivations and cultural biases that influenced and guided these scientific endeavors, especially evident in the mission of the RAIC in the Balkans, are treated as matters of fact, and there is no hint of interpretation or judgment on the part of the author. Thee book exemplifies the highest quality scholarship in carrying out exactly what it sets out to do.
