Athanasius Nikitin discoveries in geography briefly. Afanasy Nikitin - message report (grade 5 Geography). What did Afanasy Nikitin discover?

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On a trip to Canada Frenchman Jacques Cartier is considered to be the pioneer of the Canadian land. In 1534, he set off on a journey and stopped his ship off the banks of the St. Lawrence River. Following Cartier, another traveler rushed to the eastern shores of Canada,

The beginning of the activity of Afanasy Nikitin

Very little is known about the outstanding representative of the Russian people, Afanasy Nikitin. There is no reliable information about his birth (date and place), about his childhood and adolescence. But the glory of the great traveler and explorer deservedly belongs to this brave man.

According to some reports, Afanasy Nikitin was born in the family of a peasant, Nikita. This means that "Nikitin" is the patronymic of Athanasius, and not the surname. The date of birth is also unknown. Some scientists date it, approximately, $1430-1440$ years.

Remark 1

It is known that he left peasant labor and joined the merchant class. At first, he was employed in trade caravans, as they would say now, "handyman." But gradually he gained authority among merchants and began to lead merchant caravans himself.

Beginning of the Indian campaign

In the summer of $1446$, Tver merchants set off on a long voyage "to overseas countries" on several boats. The merchants appointed Afanasy Nikitin as the head of the caravan. By that time, he already had a reputation as a seasoned man who had traveled and seen a lot. Along the Volga, which already played the role of an international trade route in those days, the ships were supposed to go down to the Khvalyn Sea. So in those years they called the Caspian Sea.

Nikitin's travel notes on the way to Nizhny Novgorod are brief. This indicates that the path was no longer new. In Nizhny Novgorod, the merchants joined the Shirvan embassy of Hasanbek, who was returning from Moscow.

In the Volga delta, the caravan was attacked by the Astrakhan Tatars and was plundered. Four Russian merchants were captured. The surviving ships entered the Caspian Sea. But in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe current Makhachkala, the ships were broken during a storm and looted by local residents.

Afanasy Nikitin, having collected goods on credit, could not return home. Therefore, he went to Baku, which was then a major commercial and industrial center. From Baku, in $1468, Nikitin sailed to the Persian fortress of Mazanderan, where he stayed for more than eight months. He describes Elbrus, the nature of Transcaucasia, cities and the life of local residents.

Afanasy Nikitin in India

In the spring of $1469$ he arrives in Hormuz. More than $40 thousand inhabitants lived in Hormuz at that time. Having bought horses in Hormuz, Nikitin crossed to India. He arrived in the Indian city of Chaul $23 April $1471$. Horses in Chaul could not be sold profitably. And Nikitin goes deep into the country. The merchant spent two months in Junnar. Then he moved even further for $400$ versts to Bidart, Allande. During the journey, Afanasy Nikitin tries to learn as much as possible from the life of a foreign people (customs, legends, beliefs, architectural features). For a long time Nikitin lived in the families of ordinary Indians. He was nicknamed "hoze Isuf Khorosani".

In $1472, Athanasius Nikitin visits the sacred city of Parvat, where he describes the religious holidays of the Indian Brahmins. In $1473$ he visits the Raichur diamond region. After that, Nkitin decides to return "to Rus'".

Remark 2

Afanasy Nikitin spent about three years in India. He witnessed wars between Indian states, gives a description of Indian cities and trade routes, features of local laws.

The way home

Having bought precious stones, Nikitin in $1473$ goes to the sea in Dabul (Dabhol). From this port it is ferried to Hormuz. Along the way, he describes the "Ethiopian Mountains" (the high shores of the Somali peninsula).

Nikitin chose the route home through Persia and Trebizond to the Black Sea and on to Kafa and through Podolia and Smolensk. He spent the winter of $1474-1475 in the Cafe, putting his notes and observations in order.

In the spring of $1475$, Nikitin moved north along the Dnieper. But he never made it to Smolensk. Afanasy Nikitin died on the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. His records were delivered by merchants to the Moscow clerk of the Grand Duke Vasily Mamyrev.

The meaning of Athanasius Nikitin's journey

Over the next two centuries, the notes of Afanasy Nikitin, known as "The Journey Beyond the Three Seas", were repeatedly rewritten. Six lists have come down to us. This was the first description in Russian literature not of a pilgrimage, but of a commercial trip, full of observations about the political structure, economy and culture of other countries. Nikitin himself called his journey sinful, and this is the first description of anti-pilgrimage in Russian literature. Nikitin's scientific feat can hardly be overestimated. Before him, there were no Russian people in India. From an economic point of view, the trip was not profitable. There was no product suitable for Rus'. And the goods that would have made a profit were subject to a large duty.

Remark 3

But the main result was that Afanasy Nikitin, thirty years before colonization by the Portuguese, was the first European to give a true description of medieval India. In modern times, Nikitin's notes were discovered by N. M. Karamzin as part of the Trinity collection. Karamzin published excerpts in $1818 in notes to the History of the Russian State.

Afanasy Nikitin - traveler and pioneer from Tver Afanasy Nikitin - Russian traveler, merchant and writer, was born in 1442 (the date is not documented) and died in 1474 or 1475 near Smolensk. Born in the family of a peasant Nikita, so Nikitin is, strictly speaking, not the name of the traveler, but his patronymic: at that time, most peasants did not have surnames.

In 1468 he undertook an expedition to the countries of the East and visited Persia, India and Africa. He described his journey in the book "Journey Beyond the Three Seas".

Afanasy Nikitin - Biography. Afanasy Nikitin, whose biography is only partially known to historians, was born in the city of Tver. There is no reliable information about his childhood and youth. It is known that at a fairly young age he became a merchant and visited Byzantium, the Crimea, Lithuania and other countries on trade matters. His commercial ventures were quite successful: he safely returned to his homeland with overseas goods.

He received a charter from the Grand Duke of Tver, Mikhail Borisovich, which allowed him to develop extensive trade in the region of present-day Astrakhan. This fact allows some historians to consider the Tver merchant as a secret diplomat and scout of the Grand Duke, but there is no documentary evidence for this assumption.

Afanasy Nikitin began his journey in the spring of 1468, sailing past the Russian cities of Klyazma, Uglich and Kostroma. According to the plan, having reached Nizhny Novgorod, the pioneer caravan had to join another caravan led by Vasily Papin, the Moscow ambassador, for security reasons. But the caravans missed each other - Papin had already gone south when Athanasius arrived in Nizhny Novgorod.

Then he waited for the arrival of the Tatar ambassador Khasanbek from Moscow and already with him and other merchants went to Astrakhan 2 weeks later than planned. Afanasy Nikitin considered it dangerous to sail in a single caravan - at that time Tatar gangs were in charge along the banks of the Volga. Caravans of ships successfully passed Kazan and several other Tatar settlements.

But just before arriving in Astrakhan, the caravan was robbed by local robbers - they were Astrakhan Tatars led by Khan Kasim, who was not even embarrassed by the presence of his compatriot Hasanbek. The robbers took away all the goods from the merchants, bought, by the way, on credit. The trading expedition was thwarted, two of the four ships Afanasy Nikitin lost. Then things didn't go well either. The two remaining ships were caught in a storm in the Caspian Sea and washed ashore. Returning to their homeland without money and goods threatened the merchants with a debt hole and shame.

Then the merchant decided to improve his business, intending to engage in intermediary trade. Thus began the famous journey of Afanasy Nikitin, described by him in his literary work "Journey Beyond the Three Seas".

Information about the trip of Athanasius Nikitin.

Persia and India. Through Baku, Nikitin went to Persia, to an area called Mazanderan, then crossed the mountains and moved further south. He traveled without haste, staying for a long time in the villages and being engaged not only in trade, but also studying local languages. In the spring of 1469, he arrived in Hormuz, a large port city at the crossroads of trade routes from Egypt, Asia Minor (Turkey), China and India.

Goods from Hormuz were already known in Russia, Hormuz pearls were especially famous. Having learned that horses that were not bred there were being exported from Hormuz to the cities of India, Afanasy Nikitin decided on a risky business venture. He smoked an Arabian stallion and, hoping to resell it well in India, boarded a ship bound for the Indian city of Chaul.

The swim took 6 weeks. India made the strongest impression on the merchant. Not forgetting about the trading business, for which he, in fact, arrived here, the traveler became interested in ethnographic research, recording in detail what he saw in his diaries. India appears in his notes as a wonderful country, where everything is not the same as in Rus', "and people go all black and naked." Athanasius was struck by the fact that almost all the inhabitants of India, even the poor, wear gold jewelry. By the way, Nikitin himself also struck the Indians - the locals had rarely seen white people here before.

However, it was not possible to profitably sell the stallion in Chaul, and he went inland. He visited a small town in the upper reaches of the Sina River, and then went to Junnar.

In his travel notes, Afanasy Nikitin did not miss everyday details, and also described local customs and sights. This was hardly the first true description of the life of the country, not only for Rus', but even for the whole of Europe. The traveler left notes about what kind of food is cooked here, what is fed to pets, how they dress and what goods are traded. Even the process of making local intoxicating drinks and the custom of Indian housewives to sleep with guests in the same bed are described.

Junnar had to linger in the fortress no longer of his own free will. The "Dzhunnar Khan" took away his stallion when he found out that the merchant was not an infidel, but an alien from distant Rus', and set a condition for the infidel: either he converts to the Islamic faith, or not only does he not get a horse, but will be sold into slavery. Khan gave him 4 days to think. The Russian traveler was saved by chance - he met an old acquaintance Mohammed, who vouched for the stranger to the khan.

During the 2 months spent by the Tver merchant in Junnar, Nikitin studied the agricultural activities of local residents. He saw that in India they plow and sow wheat, rice and peas during the rainy season. He also describes the local winemaking, which uses coconuts as a raw material.

After Junnar, he visited the city of Alland, where there was a large fair. The merchant intended to sell his Arabian horse here, but again it did not work out. At the fair, even without his stallion, there were plenty of good horses for sale.

Only in 1471 did Afanasy Nikitin manage to sell his horse, and even then without much profit for himself, or even at a loss. This happened in the city of Bidar, where the traveler arrived, waiting for the rainy season in other settlements. He stayed in Bidar for a long time, making friends with the locals.

The Russian traveler told them about his faith and his land, the Indians also told him a lot about their customs, prayers, and family life. Many entries in Nikitin's diaries deal with the religion of the Indians.

In 1472, he arrived in the city of Parvat, a sacred place on the banks of the Krishna River, where believers from all over India went to the annual festivals dedicated to the god Shiva. Athanasius Nikitin notes in his diaries that this place has the same meaning for Indian Brahmins as Jerusalem does for Christians.

The Tver merchant traveled around India for another year and a half, studying local customs and trying to conduct trade business. However, the traveler's commercial undertakings failed: he never found a product suitable for export from India to Rus'.

Africa, Iran, Türkiye and Crimea. On his way back from India, Afanasy Nikitin decided to visit the east coast of Africa. According to diary entries, in the Ethiopian lands he barely managed to avoid robbery, paying off the robbers with rice and bread.

Then he returned to the city of Hormuz and moved through Iran, where hostilities were taking place, to the north. He passed the cities of Shiraz, Kashan, Erzinjan and arrived in Trabzon (Trebizond), a Turkish city on the southern coast of the Black Sea. It seemed that the return was close, but then luck turned away from the traveler again: he was taken under arrest by the Turkish authorities as an Iranian spy and deprived of all the remaining property.

According to the traveler himself, which has come down to us in the form of notes, all that remained with him at that time was the diary itself, and the desire to return to his homeland.

He had to borrow money on parole for the road to Feodosia, where he intended to meet fellow merchants and pay off debts with their help. He was able to get to Feodosia (Kafu) only in the autumn of 1474. Nikitin spent the winter in this city, completing notes on his journey, and in the spring he set off along the Dnieper back to Russia, to his native city of Tver.

However, he was not destined to return there - he died in the city of Smolensk under unknown circumstances. Most likely, years of wandering and hardships endured by the traveler undermined his health. Afanasy Nikitin's companions, Moscow merchants, brought his manuscripts to Moscow and handed them over to deacon Mamyrev, adviser to Tsar Ivan III. The entries were later included in the chronicles of 1480.

In the 19th century, these notes were discovered by the Russian historian Karamzin, who published them in 1817 under the author's title. The three seas mentioned in the title of the work are the Caspian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Black Sea.

Discoveries of Athanasius Nikitin. A merchant from Tver ended up in India long before the arrival of representatives of European states. The sea route to this country was opened by the Portuguese merchant Vasco da Gama several decades later than the Russian trade guest Afanasy Nikitin arrived there. What did he discover in distant lands and why are his records of such value for posterity?

Although the commercial goal that prompted the pioneer to such a dangerous journey was not achieved, the result of the wanderings of this observant, talented and energetic person was the first real description of an unknown distant country. Prior to that, in Ancient Rus', the fabulous country of India was known only from legends and literary sources of that time.

A man of the 15th century saw the legendary country with his own eyes and was able to tell his compatriots about it with talent. In his notes, the traveler writes about the state system of India, the religions of the local population (in particular, about "belief in buty" - this is how Afanasy Nikitin heard and wrote down the name of Buddha, sacred to most Indians of that time).

He described the trade of India, the armament of the army of this country, spoke about exotic animals (monkeys, snakes, elephants), local customs and Indian ideas about morality. He also wrote down some Indian legends.

The Russian traveler also described cities and areas that he himself did not visit, but which he heard about from the Indians. So, he mentions Calcutta, the island of Ceylon and Indochina, places that at that time were still completely unknown to Russian people. The information carefully collected by the pioneer allows us today to judge the military and geopolitical aspirations of the Indian rulers of that time, the state of their armies (up to the number of war elephants and the number of chariots).

His "Journey Beyond the Three Seas" was the first text of its kind in Russian literary literature. The fact that he did not describe only holy places, as pilgrims did before him, gives the composition a unique sound. It is not the objects of the Christian faith that fall into the field of his attentive vision, but people with a different religion and a different way of life. His notes are devoid of any officiality and internal censorship, and this is especially valuable. The story of Afanasy Nikitin and his discoveries - video Afanasy Nikitin's travel map

Afanasy Nikitin's journey began in Tver, from there the route ran along the Volga River through Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan to Astrakhan. Then the pioneer visited Derbent, Baku, Sari, after which he moved overland through Persia. Having reached the city of Ormuz, he boarded the ship again and arrived on it at the Indian port of Chaul.

In India, he visited many cities on foot, among them Bidar, Junnar and Parvat. Further along the Indian Ocean, he sailed to Africa, where he spent several days, and then, again, returned to Hormuz by water. Then, on foot through Iran, he came to Trebizond, from there he reached the Crimea (Feodosia).

Surely you would be curious to know what Afanasy Nikitin discovered. After reading this article, you will find out where this Athanasius Nikitin's years of life - 1442-1474 (75) have been. He was born in Tver, in the family of Nikita, a peasant, so Nikitin is a patronymic, not a traveler's surname. Most peasants at that time did not have surnames.

His biography is only partially known to historians. There is no reliable information about his youth and childhood, only that he became a merchant at a fairly young age and visited the Crimea, Byzantium, Lithuania and other states on commercial business. Quite successful were the commercial enterprises of Athanasius: he returned safely with overseas goods to his homeland.

Below is the one located in Tver.

In 1468, Athanasius undertook an expedition during which he visited the countries of the East, Africa, India and Persia. described in a book called "Journey Beyond the Three Seas" by Afanasy Nikitin.

Ormuz

Nikitin went through Baku to Persia, after which, having crossed the mountains, he went further south. He made his journey without haste, stopping for a long time in the villages and learning local languages, as well as engaging in trade. Athanasius arrived in the spring of 1449 in Hormuz, a large city located at the crossroads of various trade routes: from India, China, Asia Minor and Egypt.

Goods from Hormuz were already known in Russia. Hormuz pearls were especially famous. Afanasy Nikitin, having learned that horses were being exported to this city, decided to make a risky venture. He bought an Arabian stallion and boarded a ship in the hope of selling it profitably in India. Athanasius went to the city of Chaul. Thus continued the Russian discovery of India. Afanasy Nikitin got here by sea.

First impressions of India

Swimming took six weeks. India made the strongest impression on the merchant. The traveler, not forgetting about trade, also became interested in ethnographic research. He wrote down in detail what he saw in his diaries. In his notes, India appears as a wonderful country, in which everything is completely different from that in Rus'. Athanasius wrote that all the people here go naked and black. He was amazed that even poor people wear jewelry made of gold. Nikitin himself, by the way, also struck the Indians. Rarely had the locals seen white people before. Nikitin failed to profitably sell his stallion in Chaul. He headed inland, visiting a small town on the upper Sina and then Junnar.

What did Afanasy Nikitin write about?

Afanasy Nikitin noted everyday details in his travel notes, described sights and local customs. It was almost the first description of the life of India, not only for Rus', but also for Europe. Athanasius wrote about what kind of food the locals eat, what they feed their livestock, what goods they sell, how they dress. He even described the process of making intoxicating drinks, as well as the custom of housewives in India to sleep in the same bed with guests.

The story that happened in the Junnar fortress

The traveler did not stay in the Junnar fortress of his own free will. The local khan took away the stallion from Athanasius when he found out that he was a stranger from Rus', and not an infidel, and set a condition for the infidel: either he converts to Islam, or not only does not return his horse, but will be sold into slavery by the khan. Four days were given for reflection. Only chance saved the Russian traveler. He met Mohammed, an old acquaintance who vouched for the stranger to the Khan.

During the two months he spent in Junnar, Nikitin studied the agricultural activities of the population. He noticed that in India they sow and plow wheat, peas and rice during the rainy season. He also describes the local winemaking. Coconuts are used in it as a raw material.

How Athanasius sold the horse

Athanasius visited the city of Alland after Junnar. There was a big fair here. The merchant wanted to sell but failed to do so again. Even without him, there were many good horses at the fair.

Afanasy Nikitin managed to sell it only in 1471, and even then without profit, or even at a loss. It happened in the city of Bidar, where the traveler arrived, waiting for the rainy season in other settlements. He stayed here for a long time, became friends with the local population. Athanasius told the inhabitants about his faith and land. Hindus also told a lot about their family life, prayers, and customs. A lot of Nikitin's notes are devoted to the issues of religion of the locals.

Parvat in Nikitin's notes

The next thing Afanasy Nikitin discovered was the sacred city of Parvat. He arrived here, on the banks of Krishna, in 1472. Believers from all over India went from this city to the annual festivities, which were dedicated to Nikitin, who notes in his diaries that this place is as important for Indian Brahmins as Jerusalem is for Christians.

Afanasy Nikitin's further journey

For another year and a half, the merchant traveled around India, trying to trade and studying local customs. But commercial enterprises (what Afanasy Nikitin went across three seas for) failed. He did not find any goods suitable for export to Rus' from India.

Afanasy Nikitin visited Africa (east coast) on his way back. In Ethiopian lands, according to diary entries, he miraculously managed to avoid being robbed. The traveler bought off the robbers with bread and rice.

Return trip

Athanasius Nikitin's journey continued with the fact that he returned to Hormuz and went north through Iran, where military operations were taking place at that time. Athanasius passed Kashan, Shiraz, Erzinjan and ended up in Trabzon, a Turkish city located on the southern coast of the Black Sea. The return seemed close, but luck turned away from Nikitin again. The Turkish authorities took him under arrest, as they took him for an Iranian spy. So Afanasy Nikitin, a Russian merchant and traveler, was deprived of all his property. All he has left is his diary.

Athanasius borrowed money for the journey on parole. He wanted to get to Feodosia, where he planned to meet Russian merchants and repay debts with their help. He was able to get to Kafu (Feodosia) only in 1474, in the autumn. Nikitin spent the winter here, completing his travel notes. In the spring, he decided to go back to Russia along the Dnieper, to Tver. This was the end of Afanasy Nikitin's trip to India.

Death of Athanasius Nikitin

But the traveler was not destined to return: he died in Smolensk under unclear circumstances. Probably, years of deprivation and wanderings undermined the health of Athanasius. His companions, Moscow merchants, brought his manuscripts to Moscow and handed them over to Mamyrev, a deacon, adviser to Ivan III. Recordings later included were in the annals of 1480.

They were discovered in the 19th century by Karamzin and published under the author's title in 1817. The three seas mentioned in the title of this work are the Caspian, Black and Indian Oceans.

What did Afanasy Nikitin discover?

Long before the Europeans arrived in India, a Russian merchant found himself in that country. The sea route here was discovered by Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese merchant, several decades later.

Although the commercial goal was not achieved, the result of the trip was the first description of India. In ancient Rus', before that, it was known only from legends and some literary sources. A man of the 15th century was able to see this country with his own eyes and talentedly tell his compatriots about it. He wrote about the state system, religions, trade, exotic animals (elephants, snakes, monkeys), local customs, and also recorded some legends.

Nikitin also described the areas and cities that he had not visited himself, but which the Indians told him about. He mentions, in particular, the island of Ceylon, Calcutta, Indochina, which were unknown to the Russians at that time. Therefore, what Afanasy Nikitin discovered was of great value. Carefully collected information today allows us to judge the geopolitical and military aspirations of the rulers of India at that time, about their army.

"Journey Beyond the Three Seas" by Afanasy Nikitin is the first text of its kind in the history of Russian literature. The fact that the traveler did not describe exclusively holy places, as pilgrims before him, gives a unique sound to the composition. It is not the various objects of the Christian religion that fall into his field of vision, but people with other beliefs and ways of life. The notes are devoid of internal censorship and officiality, which is especially valuable.