Medieval Travel and Travelers: A Reader
© 2020
It is widely believed that people living in the Middle Ages seldom traveled. But, as Medieval Travel and Travelers reveals, many medieval people – and not only Marco Polo – were on the move for a variety of different reasons.
Assuming no previous knowledge of medieval civilizations, this volume allows readers to experience the excitement of men and women who ventured into new lands. By addressing cross-cultural interaction, religion, and travel literature, the collection sheds light on how travel shaped the way we perceive the world, while also connecting history to the contemporary era of globalization. Including a mix of complete sources, excerpts, and images, Medieval Travel and Travelers provides readers with opportunities for further reflection on what medieval people expected to find in foreign locales, while sparking curiosity about undiscovered spaces and cultures.
Product Details
- Series: Readings in Medieval Civilizations and Cultures
- World Rights
- Page Count: 384 pages
- Illustrations: 13
- Dimensions: 6.0in x 0.8in x 9.0in
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Reviews
"Our investigations of travel and travelers in the pre-modern age continue to thrive at an amazing rate, but we also. need to didacticize curate the countless texts for the classroom. John F.. Romano here . comes to our rescue with this marvelous reader which includes both texts and images, and maps. and also adds copies of relevant maps.
While some of the selections are quite familiar like Marco Polo and Margery Kempe (Marco Polo, Margery Kempe), he has made an impressive attempt to include especially. Arabic, Jewish, and Persian authors who traveled naturally much. further east (China)to China or west to Africa(Africa) than most Europeans.are also included. In a way,. Romano allows us to embark on a global examination of the medieval world and to leave the shackles of Eurocentrism behind., which is a natural process because most travelers have always crossed boundaries and explored new worlds.. Most intriguingly, the editor groups the text excerpts thematically, which makes possible to recognize significant parallels and shared experiences. This is not only a very pragmatic and. welcome textbook, it also opens new perspectives through the inclusion of many authors who have commonly been ignored in western scholarship."
Albrecht Classen, University of Arizona"Medieval Travel and Travelers brings together a fascinating and diverse set of sources, which are sure to challenge readers to revisit their ideas about both the global experience of travel and the medieval world. Familiar travelers like Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta are placed alongside an expansive range of material, including maps, phrasebooks, itineraries, business letters, poems, and diplomatic reports, in ways which will lead to important questions and exchanges. While the volume remains accessible to students and newcomers to medieval sources, even specialists are likely to find something new and thought-provoking here, whether an unfamiliar text or a surprising juxtaposition."
Kate M. Craig, Auburn University -
Author Information
John F. Romano is associate professor and chair of the Department of History at Benedictine College. -
Table of contents
Acknowledgments
IntroductionChapter One: Mapping Out Journeys
1. Maps
a. T-O World Map
b. Osma Beatus World Map
c. Sawley or Henry of Mainz World Map
d. Al Idrisi World Map
e. Carte pisane
2. Woodcuts of Cities
a. Poreč
b. Corfu
c. Modon = Methoni
3. Woodcuts of "Exotic" Peoples (Saracens, Jews, Greeks, Syrians, Indians, Turks)
4. Cosmas Indikopleustes, The Christian Topography of Cosmas
5. Einsiedeln Itinerary
6. Paris Conversations
7. Jordanus of Severac, Mirabilia descripta
8. Book of the Knowledge of All Kingdoms, Lands, and Lordships That Are in the WorldChapter Two: Religious Journeys
9. Travel Prayers in the Gregorian Sacramentary
10. Vision of Adamnán
11. Life of Anskar
12. Ennin, Record of a Pilgrimage to China in Search of the Law
13. The Western European Monk Bernard's Journey to Jerusalem
14. Al-Tabari, The Prophet Ascends to the Seventh Heaven
15. Russian Primary Chronicle
16. Life of St. Christopher
17. Benedict the Pole, Narrative
18. Pascal de Vitoria, Letter
19. The Book of Margery KempeChapter Three: Business Journeys
20. Ibn Khurraddadhbih, Book of Routes and Realms
21. Account of Ohthere and Wulfstan
22. Letters from Jewish Merchants in Cairo Geniza
23. Marco Polo, Travels
24. Francesco Balducci Pegolotti, Merchant Handbook
25. Afanasy Nikitin, Voyage beyond Three SeasChapter Four: Diplomatic Journeys
26. Ibn Fadlan, Journey to Russia
27. Byzantine Book of Ceremonies
28. Liudprand of Cremona, Retribution and Embassy
29. Rabban Sauma, Travelogue
30. Ghiyyath al-Din Naqqash, A Persian Embassy to China
31. Abd-al-Razzzaq Samarqandi, Narrative of the JourneyChapter Five: Journeys of Discovery and Adventure
32. Saga of the Greenlanders
33. Nasir-i Khusraw, Book of Travels
34. Benjamin of Tudela, Itinerary
35. Ibn Battuta, Rihla
36. Pierre Bontier and Jean Le Verrier, The Canarian
37. Ma Huan, The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores
38. Pero Tafur, Voyages and AdventuresChapter Six: Literary Journeys
39. Arabian Ode in "L"
40. The Seafarer
41. Lu You, Travel Diaries
42. Ibn Jubayr, Travels
43. Petrarch, Ascent of Mt. Ventoux
44. Jörg von Ehingen, DiaryChapter Seven: Fantastic Journeys
45. Voyage of St. Brendan
46. Voyage of Máel Dúin
47. Letter of Prester John
48. Story of the Wandering Jew
49. "John Mandeville," Travels
50. Johannes Witte de Hese, Itinerary
51. Woodcuts of MonstrositiesSources
Index of Topics
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Subjects and Courses
