К истории топонимики Верхнего Дона (Епифань, Епифан Давыдович и Епифан Кореев)

Вестник Санкт-Петербургского университета. Язык и литература.. 2026. Т. 23. № 2. С. 419–437.

Lavrentiev A., Preobrazhenskaya A.

Thе article examines the administrative and economic structure of the southern holdings of the Grand Princes of Ryazan in the Upper Don region and the origin of the well-known place name Epifan’. Based on a study of literary texts, toponymy, and historical material, the authors hypothesize a connection between the literary character, the Ryazan boyar Epifan Koreyev, whose name is known only from the extended version of the Chronicle Tale of the Battle of Kulikovo (1440s), and his real-life counterpart, Epifan Davydovich, a chashnik (cupbearer, beekeeper) at the court of the Grand Prince of Ryazan Ivan Fedorovich (1417–1456), and the place name Epifan’. Paleogeographic studies document a dramatic change in the landscape here, with an increase in forested areas, well-known from census books of the 16th and 17thcenturies, and the emergence of favorable conditions for beekeeping, led by the Ryazan chash-nik Epifan Davydovich. It was precisely at that time, long before the construction of the city of Epifan (in the 1560s), that sources document the existence of place names derived from the name Epifan. Particular attention is given to the philological analysis of Epifan Koreyev as a literary character and his name, as well as the etymology of the toponym Epifan’, based on written sources and historical data.

Keywords: Великое княжество Рязанское, Epifan, Upper Don river, Chronicle tale of Kulikovo battle, Epifan’, Great Duchy of Ryazan, Епифан, Верхний Дон, Летописная повесть о Куликовской битве, Епифань