Medieval Travel and Travelers: A Reader

by John Romano (Editor)

Overview

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

ISBN-13:	9781487588045
Publisher:	University of Toronto Press
Publication date:	01/29/2020
Series:	Readings in Medieval Civilizations and Cultures
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	384
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

John F. Romano is associate professor and chair of the Department of History at Benedictine College.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 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 (Parens [Poreč ], Corfu, Modon [Methoni])
3. Woodcuts of People
a. “Exotic” People (Saracens [Muslims], Jews, Greeks, Syrians, Ethiopians, Turks)
b. Monsters
4. Cosmas Indikopleustes, The Christian Topography of Cosmas
5. Einsiedeln Itinerary
6. Einhard, The Translation and Miracles of Marcellinus and Peter
7. Paris Conversations
8. Richer of St-Rémi, Histories
9. Jordanus of Severac, Mirabilia descripta
10. Book of the Knowledge of All Kingdoms, Lands, and Lordships That Are in the World

Chapter Two: Religious Journeys

11. Travel Prayers in the Gregorian Sacramentary
12. The Vision of Adamnán
13. Life of Anskar
14. The Western European Monk Bernard’s Journey to Jerusalem
15. Al-Tabari, The Prophet Ascends to the Seventh Heaven
16. The Seafarer
17. The Russian Primary Chronicle
18. Life of Saint Christopher
19. Benedict the Pole, Narrative
20. Pascal de Vitoria, Letter
21. The Book of Margery Kempe

Chapter Three: Business Journeys

22. Ibn Khurraddadhbih, Book of Routes and Realms
23. The Reports of Ohthere and Wulfstan
24. Letters from Jewish Merchants in the Cairo Geniza
25. Marco Polo, Travels
26. Francesco Balducci Pegolotti, Merchant Handbook
27. Afanasy Nikitin, Voyage beyond Three Seas

Chapter Four: Diplomatic Journeys

28. Ibn Fadlan, Mission to the Volga
29. Liudprand of Cremona, Retribution and Embassy
30. Rabban Sauma, Travelogue
31. Ghiyyath al-Din Naqqash, A Persian Embassy to China
32. Abd-al-Razzaq Samarqandi, Narrative of the Journey

Chapter Five: Journeys of Discovery and Adventure

33. Saga of the Greenlanders
34. Nasir-i Khusraw, Book of Travels
35. Benjamin of Tudela, Itinerary
36. Ibn Jubayr, Travels
37. Ibn Battuta, Rihla
38. Petrarch, Ascent of Mt. Ventoux
39. Pero Tafur, Voyages and Adventures
40. Jörg von Ehingen, Diary

Sources
Index of Topics

What People are Saying About This

Albrecht Classen

"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."

Kate M. Craig

"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."

Editorial 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

From the Publisher