Slippery sources: Some Pages from the First Atlas of Siberia.

Ice formations, like maps, are slippery phenomena. In this talk, Dr. Erika Monahan walks us through what a few seventeenth century maps might tell us about the history of sea ice, considering carefully what a source like this can and cannot tell us. Dr. Monahan’s investigation into these maps is part of a larger book project about the first atlas of Siberia. The atlas, compiled at the end of the seventeenth century, maps the continent of Eurasia, space which, even up into the present, contains some of the most sparsely populated, remote, and little-known territory on earth. At the same time, however, global warming is driving ice melt that is making Arctic waters more navigable . . . and more contested. In addition to delving into the history of sea ice, this talk presents the broader Russian imperial context and content of this remarkable atlas, inviting us to reflect on the implications of this historical knowledge.