Известия Уральского федерального университета. Серия 2: Гуманитарные науки (Jul 2015)
Elephants and Bells: The States of Myanmar in the Eyes of 15th Century Italian Travellers
Abstract
The paper deals with the images of Ava and Pegu, two powerful medieval states of present-day Myanmar, in the accounts made by two merchants from the Italian maritime republics: Niccolò de' Conti of Venice (1439) and Hieronimo di Santo Stefano of Genoa (1499). The author observes the means of portrayal of the Southeast Asian social and religious practices in these documents, highlights the late medieval Europeans' perception of the regional body culture. The article also examines how the traditional images of India (Indias) in the medieval discourse were influenced by the travellers’ personal experience and evolved towards a more realistic portrayal.
