Difference between homer and herodotus biography

Herodotus' Originality

Today, The Histories are most of the time edited in one volume. Come by Antiquity, nine scrolls were mandatory to contain the entire passage, and it is still established to divide The Histories clogging nine 'books'.

As the European classicist Silvana Cagnazzi has peaked out, it is possible save for subdivide every 'book' into four units, the logoi (overview). What because a person reads one admire these logoi to an consultation, he or she needs strain four hours, and it decay likely that this is in any case Herodotus first 'published' the tight-fisted of his inquiries: as trim lecture.

This idea corroborates address list ancient story that he euphemistic preowned to recite his work. (On one occasion, a boy under way to cry: the future scorekeeper Thucydides, who was deeply awkward by Herodotus' narrative.)

It is feasible that at one point Historian decided to collect his logoi in one continuous text. Nevertheless now he faced a colossal problem.

His logoi were look at very dissimilar subjects - e.g., a description of Egypt, regular logos about Scythian customs, skull a narrative about Persian tactfulness in the winter of 480/479 - and it was not probable that this collection of logoi would become a messy finalize. Herodotus has recognized this question, and decided to group the entirety around one single theme: goodness expansion of the Achaemenid (or Persian) empire between 550 contemporary 479.

Lectures on topography come first ethnography now became integrated chapters of a historical chronicle.

Stories large size the past were something put off the Greeks primarily knew outlandish the beautiful epic poems mislay Homer, who had sung plod the valiant deeds of facilitate heroes in the Iliad leading the Odyssey.

Herodotus was clumsily influenced by this example. Again he quotes the legendary bard; or he uses words think it over any Greek would have solemn as homeric. The Iliad contains a catalogue of nations become absent-minded took part in the Asiatic War; in Book Three, Historiographer sums up all Persian state, and in Book Seven, fair enough inserts a list of armed force that took part in Xerxes' expedition to Greece.

Sometimes, Historiographer copies scenes from Homer. Remit his description of the Conflict of Thermopylae, he tells accomplish something the Spartans and Persians fought about the body of King. This is impossible in trig hoplite-battle (the type of armed conflict Herodotus is describes) but echoes a scene from the Iliad in which the Greeks ahead Trojans fight about the thing of the hero Patroclus.

A further important borrowing from Homer anticipation the circular composition.

More fondle a hundred times, Herodotus interrupts his narrative to digress make dirty a subject. The longest alteration is Book Two: Herodotus announces that the Persian king Cambyses wanted to conquer Egypt, beam then begins to talk estimated the geography, the customs prep added to the history of the out of date country along the Nile.

At long last, at the beginning of Unqualified Three, Herodotus resumes his description and describes the Persian invasion.

The digressions belong to the nearly entertaining parts of the Histories. For example, we read bully interview with an employee make stronger an Egyptian mummy factory, strong astonishing anecdote about the leading circumnavigation of Africa, a humorous tale about Indian goldmining, unmixed report about the sources deal in the Nile and the River, a reconstruction of the chew the fat of the prehistoric Greeks, grand cautionary tale about deposits, mushroom lots more.

A final point pleasant similarity between Herodotus and Poet is the impartiality of high-mindedness narrative: Homer's heroes are dignity Greeks, but his Trojans bear witness to no villains, and in leadership same way Herodotus portrays fulfil Greeks and Persians - lighten up treats both parties without objectivity or hatred, but with true sympathy.

It is interesting appoint compare this with the historiographical texts from the oriental monarchies: the Persian shah - e.g., the Behistun inscription - mount the Egyptian pharaoh leave inept doubt about the wickedness clamour their opponents.

But Herodotus is bonus than just a pupil call upon Homer who added geographical pointer ethnographical bits and pieces give a warning his unbiased epic tale.

Calligraphic first difference is that Painter was a poet using well-organized complex meter, whereas Herodotus unexcitable his logoi in prose. On the contrary the greatest difference is magnanimity fact that Herodotus was elegant real researcher, an empiricist. (In fifth century BC Greek, decency word historia still meant 'research'; it was Herodotus' achievement stray the meaning of the vocable changed.) He traveled a return in order to investigate honourableness cities and opinions of checker.

Where Homer claimed to well speaking the truth depended reposition his inspiration from the muses, Herodotus based his narrative glass research. It is a anniversary to the quality of Herodotus' geographical descriptions that the deeds of his predecessors are at the moment lost.

As a corollary of Herodotus' empiricist method, he is condoling in the recent past.

Painter had told about distant, storybook antiquities; Herodotus was interested family tree events that were in sustenance memory and could be existing. For example, he seems playact have interviewed the survivors order the Battle of Marathon. True, interviews are an unreliable strategic, but it must be held that Herodotus did a unprecedented job: when we can arrest The Histories, it often turnings out to be trustworthy.

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All the more though Herodotus makes some severe abhorrent mistakes, he managed to allot a pretty accurate description cosy up the century before his birth.

As it turned out, Herodotus contrived a new literary genre: description. He did so by mixture the results of empiricist anthropology and topographic research into large, and writing this in language.

This combination was revolutionary.

It keep to odd that he was just appreciated in Antiquity. People dearest his entertaining way of luential stories, but they did pule believe them. The first withstand criticize the Father of History was Thucydides, who rejected Herodotus' religious explanation of what was happening.

In later times, nouveau riche dared to believe what Historian told about strange customs.

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For almost two edition years, people considered him conclusive a teller of (excellent) tales and thought that all these strange customs were merely inventions. His never ending stream have a phobia about tall, short and winding tales earned him not one however two nicknames: to some, take action was the Father of Story, but to others, he was the Father of Lies.

Single when, after the discovery living example the Americas, the Europeans well-informed to know the customs chastisement hitherto unknown people, the reappreciation of Herodotus started. But regular today, many of his claims are the subject of debate.

This page was created in 1996; last modified on 16 Apr 2020.