The Khozhenie za tri morya of Afanasy Nikitin: a critical edition

Abstract

The subject of this thesis is the Khozhenie za tri morya, an account of a journey to India by a 15th century Russian merchant, Afanasy Nikitin, of his sojourn there and of his return thence. After a brief introduction the author examines the history of this document both with regard to early copies of the text and to more recent attitudes towards the work. The second section consists of a translation into English of the fullest version of the text which has been obtained by taking the fullest extant copy and adding to it various words, phrases and passages which only occur in other versions. The third section of the work consists of commentary notes on the translation with particular emphasis on the vocabulary used by Nikitin and on points of general interest. In the fourth section, "Notes on the Historical and Geographical Background to the Khozhenie", the author examines the history of the various regions through which Nikitin passed, thereby building up a picture of the conditions which he encountered. There are notes on the location and character of the various towns through which he passed. The next section, "Russian Awareness of India before Nikitin", examines the question of how much was known of India in medieval Russia. The author makes the point that it was not an entirely unknown land and that certain connections had existed between the two countries prior to Nikitin's visit. In the sixth section, "Nikitin - a Traveller among Travellers", Nikitin's work is contrasted with the works of other travellers to the East who had preceded him. It is pointed out that, whilst his account is perhaps less important than some Russian commentators maintain, it is worthy of more consideration than it has generally been granted in the West. A reference section, bibliography and glossary complete the original work in this thesis. Copies of several versions of the text are included in the appendices, as is a map showing Nikitin's route.