Abstract
Travelling to the âºOtherâ¹ can be fascinating â and very dangerous, especially when the traveller moves to âºuncivilisedâ¹ peoples like Huns and Mongols. The article shows unpredictable parallels between two travel accounts very far from each other in space and time: on the one hand Priscus of Panion, a learned Greek from the 5th century CE, who goes with the Byzantine ambassador to the king of the Huns, the terrible Attila; on the other hand William of Rubruk, a learned Franciscan from the 13th century CE, who writes in Latin a detailed report about his mission to the Mongol Empire. Both cross Constantinople, the city of cities, and both bear witness to the welcoming âºcivilisationâ¹ they found at their destination, beyond borders and boundaries. From a literary perspective, much to our surprise, Byzantium is the key to open the world of the âºOthernessâ¹.
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