Creative Commons

This dissertation was written as part of the MSc in Black Sea and Eastern Mediterranean Studies at the International Hellenic University. I chose to deal with translation of Chrysanthos Notaras China Enslaved. On the first chapter I give biographical information about Notaras and the writer of the original manuscript Nicolaos Spatharios. Both of them were extinguished personalities of the 17th century and important contributors of the Greek Enlightenment. The 17th century is the century of changes. People made clear that the only way to understand the universe is the knowledge which comes through observation. Part of this observation is also travelling to foreign lands and the contact with unknown civilizations. Travelling will take many forms; in this case we have to do with a diplomatic mission from the new emerged Russian Empire to the Chinese one. From this document we are taking a series of important geographical information and that is probably what triggered Notaras to Its translation. In the second chapter I tried to give a picture of the geopolitical situation from 1450 till 1700 in the region of Pontic steppes and northern Caspian Sea. Right after the collapse of Golden new smaller khanates emerged in the region of Ponto-Caspian steppe. On the northern part Russia in the beginning with the Tsar Ivan IV will succeed to impose its power over the khanates and will spread the Russian boarders to Pacific Ocean. In the third chapter I will try to give a connection of Notaras translated document with the event, tribes and locations that are refereed in the text. The second part of the dissertation is a translation of China enslaved in English.