The Annalistic Writing in Novgorod ca. 1200

The paper is concerned with the analysis of textual differences between the Elder and the Younger versions of the First Novgorodian Chronicle. The author shows that several groups of differences are concentrated in the same part of the text: in the annals for the 12th century. They increase toward the end of the century, are the most numerous in the annals for the 1190s, and never cross the edge of the annals for 1199/1200. This chronological boundary is very impressive and cannot be incidental. The differences in question are both supplementary readings of the Elder Version (notes on some events absent in the Younger Version, more detailed datings, etc.) and of the Younger Version (additional details on some events of the 1190s). The author shows that all these differences must be attributed to an editor active soon after 1199 (the Elder Version reflecting the state of the text before this editorial episode, and the Younger version reflecting the results of it). This conclusion enables the author to challenge Alexey Gippius’ (1997) and Alan Timberlake’s (2000) theories on the relationship of the texts in question, and to suggest a new, somewhat simpler theory

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