From Whence Came the Land of Rus? A Brief History of the Sources and Scholars of the Rus Primary Chronicle
An online lecture by Dr. Sean Griffin
The Rus Primary Chronicle is the earliest written history of the East Slavs, recounting the rise of the land of Rus from its origins to the early twelfth century. It contains many of the most famous passages from the medieval Slavic past, including the “Invitation to the Varangians”, the journey of Princess Olga to Constantinople, and the mass baptism of Rus in 988. But where did these ancient stories come from? Who compiled them and when? What source materials did the first Kyivan scribes have at their disposal and how did they use them? In this talk, I shall attempt to demystify the making of the Rus Primary Chronicle and recount how generations of scholars have attempted to understand this notoriously difficult text.
About the Speaker
Sean Griffin is an Associate Professor of Russian in the Department of German and Russian at the University of Notre Dame. His research focuses on the history of the Orthodox Church and its role in the sacralization of political power: from the liturgy and chronicles of medieval Kyiv to the arthouse cinema and wartime propaganda of Putin’s Russia.
Griffin’s first book, The Liturgical Past in Byzantium and Early Rus, was published with Cambridge University Press. It was the winner of two international book awards: the W. Bruce Lincoln Book Prize and the Ecclesiastical History Society Book Prize. His newest book, Putin’s Holy War: Sacred Memory and the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, will be published with Cornell University Press.
Connecting with Zoom
This virtual lecture is presented live via Zoom. Registered users will be emailed a link to join this Zoom program. To get started, please download Zoom on your chosen device and explore the Frequently Asked Questions.
This program will be recorded and posted to the museum’s YouTube channel.