The Imperiia ProjectMain MenuResearch Dashboardsmaps, visualizations, and moreVeles: The Data CatalogOngoing ProjectsThe MapMaker PodcastEvery story starts somewhere.Teach with MapsGalleriesKelly O'Neilldc20b45f1d74122ba0d654d19961d826c5a557f5The Imperiia Project // Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University
Map of the Week
12026-02-19T12:59:49-05:00Paul Vadanf46fd2a7a6d2ab1ecca0ec13c84118eaf61facfa918Map of the Weekstructured_gallery2026-02-19T15:34:28-05:00Anastasiia Pereverten1dee3aa5075817eb04077dbae88a1030d7d4ebb4
12018-02-15T03:26:31-05:00Kelly O'Neilldc20b45f1d74122ba0d654d19961d826c5a557f5Aristotle's hircocervus119th century engraving of The Trusty Servant, from the 1579 painting by John Hoskins (public domain)plain2018-02-15T03:49:31-05:00Kelly O'Neilldc20b45f1d74122ba0d654d19961d826c5a557f5
12020-08-16T23:07:27-04:00Kelly O'Neilldc20b45f1d74122ba0d654d19961d826c5a557f5Arkhangelsk Province1Item in the set of geographic playing cards produced in Russia in 1856. These were elaborately illustrated, beautifully-produced playing cards laden with pedagogical and ideological value. There is one card for each province of the Russian Empire.plain2020-08-16T23:07:27-04:001856LoC_RussianGeogCards1.jpgKelly O'Neilldc20b45f1d74122ba0d654d19961d826c5a557f5
12020-03-19T20:13:02-04:00Kelly O'Neilldc20b45f1d74122ba0d654d19961d826c5a557f5Armenians and Tatars in a Cafe6Interior view of a cafe. Men sit around a table cross-legged smoking pipes. They have taken off their shoes.plain2020-12-18T16:05:02-05:0010-18-183745.05462, 34.60185Demidov_pl75md_Armenians and Tatars in cafe.jpgKelly O'Neilldc20b45f1d74122ba0d654d19961d826c5a557f5
12020-08-16T23:07:28-04:00Kelly O'Neilldc20b45f1d74122ba0d654d19961d826c5a557f5Bessarabia Province1Item in the set of geographic playing cards produced in Russia in 1856. These were elaborately illustrated, beautifully-produced playing cards laden with pedagogical and ideological value. There is one card for each province of the Russian Empire.plain2020-08-16T23:07:28-04:001865LoC_RussianGeogCards4.jpgKelly O'Neilldc20b45f1d74122ba0d654d19961d826c5a557f5
12020-08-16T23:07:28-04:00Kelly O'Neilldc20b45f1d74122ba0d654d19961d826c5a557f5Black Sea Cossack Lands1Item in the set of geographic playing cards produced in Russia in 1856. These were elaborately illustrated, beautifully-produced playing cards laden with pedagogical and ideological value. There is one card for each province of the Russian Empire.plain2020-08-16T23:07:28-04:001856LoC_RussianGeogCards6.jpgKelly O'Neilldc20b45f1d74122ba0d654d19961d826c5a557f5
12020-08-16T23:18:15-04:00Kelly O'Neilldc20b45f1d74122ba0d654d19961d826c5a557f5Chukotka and Kamchatka1Item in the set of geographic playing cards produced in Russia in 1856. These were elaborately illustrated, beautifully-produced playing cards laden with pedagogical and ideological value. There is one card for each province of the Russian Empire.plain2020-08-16T23:18:15-04:001856LoC_RussianGeogCards7.jpgKelly O'Neilldc20b45f1d74122ba0d654d19961d826c5a557f5
12020-08-16T23:07:25-04:00Kelly O'Neilldc20b45f1d74122ba0d654d19961d826c5a557f5Chernigov Province1Item in the set of geographic playing cards produced in Russia in 1856. These were elaborately illustrated, beautifully-produced playing cards laden with pedagogical and ideological value. There is one card for each province of the Russian Empire.plain2020-08-16T23:07:25-04:001856LoC_RussianGeogCards5.jpgKelly O'Neilldc20b45f1d74122ba0d654d19961d826c5a557f5
12020-03-19T23:22:15-04:00Kelly O'Neilldc20b45f1d74122ba0d654d19961d826c5a557f5Château Vorontsov6View of Count Mikhail Vorontsov's palace in the distance with Crimean Tatar men gathered in a circle in the foreground. According to Demidov, the (coastal) region around Alupka, "washed in sunlight and bathed by the sea," was quite the fashionable destination as a romantic realm of summer residences studded with "Gothic castles, English cottages, Swiss chalets, [and] American farms" [28]plain2020-12-18T14:49:33-05:0008-12-183744.41808, 34.04531Demidov_pl33md_chateau vorontsov.jpgKelly O'Neilldc20b45f1d74122ba0d654d19961d826c5a557f5
12024-10-07T15:05:25-04:00Olive Colesfb4fbcee067a941cdd754bb445e31c29ce94b225Filling in the Gaps28Manganari and Aivakovsky Imagine the Crimean Coastimage_header2024-10-30T08:46:11-04:00Kelly O'Neilldc20b45f1d74122ba0d654d19961d826c5a557f5
12026-02-19T15:26:04-05:00Anastasiia Pereverten1dee3aa5075817eb04077dbae88a1030d7d4ebb4Cold Snap1As the end of the month approaches, we are leaning into winter with a selection from the David Rumsey Historical Map Collection. This ice chart of the Northern Hemisphere takes us back to January 1946. Produced by the U.S. Navy’s Hydrographic Office, it reflects growing interest in polar regions, shipping routes, and risks to navigation. Look carefully and you will see that the chart distinguishes permanent polar packs from areas of sea ice navigable by unreinforced vessels, translating environmental conditions into operational knowledge. But even if you aren’t planning to travel back in time to sail the North Atlantic, you might be curious about the known limits of icebergs and growlers. Enjoy!plain2026-02-19T15:26:04-05:00Anastasiia Pereverten1dee3aa5075817eb04077dbae88a1030d7d4ebb4
12026-02-19T15:29:25-05:00Anastasiia Pereverten1dee3aa5075817eb04077dbae88a1030d7d4ebb4Distribution of Mosques c.18801In 1886 the Ministry of Internal Affairs - the Department of Spiritual Affairs of Foreign Faiths, to be specific - published a mosque census listing 6,307 mosques distributed across 34 provinces. This map transforms that list into a map. It visualizes the percentage of the empire’s total number of mosques located within each province, with provinces containing none shown in white and darker shades indicating higher concentrations. The most significant concentrations appear in the Volga-Ural region, Tavrida (including Crimea) and the Caucasus. But is this the whole story? How did imperial officials go about counting mosques? Can we trust the picture generated by their data?plain2026-02-19T15:29:25-05:00Anastasiia Pereverten1dee3aa5075817eb04077dbae88a1030d7d4ebb4
