The Russian Archaeological Institute of Constantinople () was founded in 1895 and led by two distinguished Russian Byzantinists,

Fyodor Uspensky Fyodor Ivanovich Uspensky (or Uspenskij; ; 19 February 1845 – 10 September 1928) was a Russian and Soviet Byzantinist. His works are considered to be among the finest illustrations of the flowering of Byzantine studies in the Russian Empire. ...

and

Nikodim Kondakov Nikodim (or Nikodeme) Pavlovich Kondakov (; 1 (13) November 1844, Olshanka, Kursk Governorate, Russian Empire– 17 February 1925, Prague, Czechoslovakia), was an art historian with special expertise in the history of Russian and ...

. The institute carried out excavations and studies across the entire

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

, carrying off large numbers of relics, manuscripts and other finds to Russia. Aside from its research role, the institute was from the outset intended as a statement of foreign policy, following the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

's claim to be the inheritor of the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

as the "

Third Rome The continuation, succession, and revival of the Roman Empire is a running theme of the history of Europe and the Mediterranean Basin. It reflects the lasting memories of power, prestige, and unity associated with the Roman Empire. Several pol ...

", and its long-standing ambition to conquer

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

from the Ottoman Empire. The institute continued to function until the outbreak of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

in 1914.

Sources

* * * {{authority control 1895 establishments in the Ottoman Empire Organizations based in Istanbul Byzantine studies Archaeological research institutes Ottoman Empire–Russian Empire relations