L’INFLUENCE D’HÉRODOTE SUR LES NAVIGATIONS DE NICOLAS DE NICOLAY
THE INFLUENCE OF HERODOTUS ON THE NAVIGATIONS OF NICOLAS DE NICOLAY

Summary/Abstract: In his Navigations, Nicolas de Nicolay describes individuals belonging to diverse social classes within the Ottoman Empire, observing their attire, beliefs, and occupations in detail. In his approach, he appears to have been influenced by the writings of Herodotus. Much like his predecessor, he aims to offer the reader a complex image of the Other, to arouse his curiosity, and, above all, to invite a deeper reflection on human diversity. Admittedly, Herodotus favours historical inquiry,whereas Nicolay prefers the role of cartographer and attentive observer of the world; yet, their common objective is to convey the truth of what they witness, and to understand and explain the Other encountered during their travels. The aim of this paper is to conduct a comparative study of these two approaches, given that both Herodotus and Nicolay are concerned with highlighting picturesque details and encountered peculiarities, as well as their aesthetic and moral functions. We thus hope to demonstrate Herodotus’ extraordinary influence on Nicolas de Nicolay's Navigations, which is particularly visible in the description of the moral and physical portrait of the Other—the foreigner that these travellers discover during their adventures.

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