Quick Facts
- Also called:
- Chronicle of Nestor or Kyiv Chronicle
- Russian:
- Povest vremennykh let (“Tale of Bygone Years”)
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The Primary Chronicle
medieval historical work
Also known as: “Chronicle of Nestor”, “Kyiv Chronicle”, “Povest vremennykh let”(Show More)
Did Vikings found the Russian state?Archaeologists searching for evidence to support the Viking (or “Normanist”) theory, which states that the Rus people were originally Vikings; the theory is partly based on The Primary Chronicle, which was compiled by Nestor.
See all videos for this articleThe Primary Chronicle, medieval Kyivan Rus historical work that gives a detailed account of the early history of the eastern Slavs to the second decade of the 12th century. The chronicle, compiled in Kyiv about 1113, was based on materials taken from Byzantine chronicles, west and south Slavonic literary sources, official documents, and oral sagas; the earliest extant manuscript of it is dated 1377. While the authorship was traditionally ascribed to the monk Nestor, modern scholarship considers the chronicle a composite work.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Michael Ray.
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