«Tale of bygone years» and pagan princes of Ancient Russia: some features of perception

The author studies the main features of the depiction of the Rurik dynasty in the first Russian chronicle. The main attention is paid to various aspects of the «Tale of Bygone Years» as the primary historical source of the IX-X centuries, and the viewpoint of its author. The problem of depiction of the Rurik dynasty in the historical source is examined on the basis of modern achievements of Russian science.