beginning in the 12th century, but this is no longer believed to have been the case.

The title of the work, Povest' vremennykh let ("Tale of Bygone Years") comes from the opening sentence of the ''Laurentian'' text: "These are the narratives of bygone years regarding the origin of the land of Rus', the first princes of Kiev, and from what source the land of Rus' had its beginning". The work is considered a fundamental source for the earliest history of the East Slavs.