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The '''''Primary Chronicle''''' (Old [[Church Slavonic]]: Повѣсть времяньныхъ лѣтъ; Russian: Пóвесть временны́х лет, ''Povest' vremennykh let''; Ukrainian: Пóвість врéм'яних літ, ''Povist' vremjanykh lit''), also known as the '''''Russian Primary Chronicle''''' or by its opening words, '''''Tale of Bygone Years''''', is a compilation of writings that are the principal source of the history of the eastern Slavs up to the early twelfth century. The ''Chronicle'' was compiled in the [[Monastery of the Kiev Caves|Monastery of the Caves]] in Kiev. Traditionally, the [[monk]] Nestor has been attributed as the author of the ''ChroniclesChronicle'', written during the time of Vladimir II Monomakh.
The ''Chronicle'' describes events from the mid-eighth century, that is the time of the reign of the Eastern Roman Emperor Michael III, in the domains of the grand princes of Kiev and [[Novgorod]] and includes the introduction of Orthodox Christianity into Kievan RussiaRus'. The ''Chronicle'' is the oldest source of history concerning the [[Baptism of Rus'|conversion of the Rus']] under Prince [[Vladimir of Kiev|Vladimir]], and others involved in the Christianization of the eastern Slavs, including Princess [[Olga of Kiev|Olga]], and the Princes [[Boris and Gleb]].
The original version of the ''Chronicle'' has been attributed to the [[monk]] Nestor, although now it appears he may have acted as an editor of earlier works. The "Nestorian" version was followed by two later versions, the first edited by Sylvester, [[hegumen]] of St. Michael's Monastery in the village of Vydobichi near Kiev, and the second by an unknown person who may have been Greek, as he corrected and updated information about the Eastern Roman affairs. No copies of these original chronicles exist. The earliest known version extant, dating from 1377, is the Laurentian codex that was complied by the monk Laurentius for Prince Dmitiri Donskoy. Other versions exist with slight variations in the text.
Later in the Kievan period of Russia other sources were written, such as the ''Novgorod Chronicles'', that enriched knowledge about this early history and either confirmed the ''Primary Chronicle'' or corrected its biases.
Despite being most commonly known in English as the '''''"Russian''' " Primary Chronicle'', the modern political state known as ''Russia'' did not exist in the period in question. Some scholarly sources have suggested that ''Rus''' instead of ''Russian'' may be more correct. In any event, the document itself is most often known in Slavic sources simply as the ''Primary Chronicle''.
==Sources==