Herodotean Inquiries

1969
ISBN: 978-90-247-0015-8
Verlag: Springer Netherlands

Buch, Englisch, 217 Seiten, Format (B × H): 160 mm x 240 mm, Gewicht: 372 g

Herodotus has so often been called, since ancient times, the father of history that this title has blinded us to the question: Was the father of history an historian? Everyone knows that the Greek word from which 'history' is derived always means inquiry in Herodotus. His so-called Histories are in­ quiries, and by that name I have preferred to call them. His inquiries partly result in the presentation of events that are now called 'historical'; but other parts of his inquiry would now belong to the province of the anthro­ pologist or geographer. Herodotus does not recognize these fields as distinct; they all belong equally to the subject of his inquiry, but it is not self-evident what he understands to be his subject: the notorious difficulties in the proemium are enough to indicate this. If his work presents us with so strange a mixture of different fields, we are entitled to ask: Did Herodotus under­ stand even its historical element as we understand it? Without any proof everyone, as far as I am aware, who has studied him has assumed this to be so.

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Benardete, S.

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Klassische Literaturwissenschaft Klassische Griechische & Byzantinische Literatur
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Geschichte der Westlichen Philosophie Antike Philosophie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

I. Herodotus.- II. Egypt.- III. Persia.- IV. Scythia and Libya.- V. Athens.- VI. Sparta.- VII. Persia and Greece.