Herodotus

In Herodotus’ work, Histories, It is evident that there is a certain symmetry in the world, however, the further one travels from Greece the stranger things become. Herodotus shows not only similarities between Greek and Egyptian customs, but respect for Egypt's status as an older civilization. Although similarities are displayed, Herodotus evokes the feeling that the Greeks are still unique and he tags others such as the Egyptians as outsiders. The Greeks distinguish others based on their…

Darius and Herodotus present differing views on Darius’s claim to the throne and what the king accomplished throughout his reign. Darius supports his claim to the throne by tracking his lineage all the way back to Achaemenes, his family's namesake. He then goes on the say that he is the ninth of the line of Achaemenes to be king, although…

mythology. The comparisons would vary with each victor. The only time these epics would differ from the normal is the odes dedicated to charioteers. Only one of the odes dedicated to a chariot-race victor focuses on the rider that won. In Isthmian 1 Herodotus of Thebes is the only charioteer who gets credit for his victory in the competition. This is because he paid for the chariot and rode it himself. The other competitors Pindar writes about have victories at games by paying for their own…

The historians Herodotus and Thucydides, in their lives and works, both exemplify and challenge certain ideals of fifth century Athenian/Greek culture and thought. While it is dangerous to try to claim that either is a perfect symbol – or a complete antithesis – of the spirit of Greece, it is through this balance of exemplifying and challenging ideals that they can both be said to symbolize this Greek spirit more than not. Herodotus both exemplifies certain aspects of fifth century Greece but…

Compare and contrast the contributions of Herodotus and Thucydides to the writing of history. ‘’…so that human achievements may not become forgotten in time, and great and marvellous deeds – some displayed by Greeks, some by barbarians – may not be without their glory; especially to show why the two peoples fought with eachother.’’ (Herodotus) The proposed purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast the contributions of Herodotus and Thucydides throughout the history of their time. I intend…

Herodotus shows himself as a dedicated and meticulous historian throughout this entire book. His respect to detail is what sets this aspect of himself apart from that of the political theorist, anthropologist, or spinner of tales. He provides such in-depth characteristics and features of these recounts of history that it seems as if he was standing there taking notes as it transpired. This attention to detail is thoroughly described in the recounting of Croesus’ gathering of gifts to give to the…

texts of discovery would go on centuries later to influence famous figures of the Age of Exploration, among them Amerigo Vespucci. Upon a closer examination of the textual relationship between Vespucci and one classical author, Herodotus, one finds that while both Herodotus and Vespucci claim the edge of the world as a marvelous…

reliability. To know what is accurate in old literature is a challenge because it implies differentiating objective work from one’s own perspective in a writing. It also means the separation of invented past events and events that truly happened. Herodotus’ historical narrative called Histories that…

In his Letters to Herodotus, Epicurus’ material outlook assumes that all things are made out of atoms, an argument that he extends to the soul. He raises the point that the soul is material and capable of sensation, and these sensations build out thoughts; however, this assumption tends to categorize human thoughts and limit originality and creativity. In the text, Epicurus explains that the soul is a structure that is material and primarily used for sensation; these sensations become…

In Herodotus’ The History, Herodotus states the purpose of his writing as giving a report to the reason for why the Greeks and Persians went to war. After briefly reporting an account from Persian scholars, Herodotus notes that he neither believes or disbelieves the account. Instead, he rather finds fault with the man that he thinks first wronged the Greeks, Croesus of Lydia. Croesus, after succeeding his father in the rulership of Lydia, subdued and ruled the Greek city-states of Western Asia…