Herodotus / James Romm.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Romm, James S., Author.

Series:

Hermes Books

Hermes Books Series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

History, Ancient--Historiography--Greece.

History, Ancient.

Historians--Biography.

Historians.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (232 p.)

Place of Publication:

New Haven, CT : Yale University Press, 1998

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Herodotus, widely known as the father of history, was also described by Aristotle as a mythologos, or "tale-teller." In this stylish and insightful book, intended for both general readers and students, James Romm argues that the author of the Histories was both a historian-in the original sense of "one who inquires"-and a master storyteller.Although most ancient historians wrote only about events they themselves had lived through, Herodotus explored an era well before his own time-from the rise of the Persian Empire to the Persian invasions of Greece in 490 and 480 B.C., the heroic fight of the Greeks against the invaders, and the final Greek victory. Working without the aid of written sources, Herodotus traveled widely and wove into his chronology descriptions of people and countries he visited and anecdotes that shed light on their lives and customs. Romm discusses the historical background of Herodotuss life and work, his moralistic approach to history, his insatiable fascination with people and places, his literary powers, and the question of the historical "truth" behind the stories he relates. He gives general readers a fresh appreciation of the Histories as a work encompassing fiction and nonfiction, myth and history, and poetry and prose. Herodotus becomes not simply a source of historical data but a masterful and artistic author who created a radically new literary genre.Hermes BooksJohn Herington, Founding Editor

Contents:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

PREFACE

I. INTRODUCTION: MYTH AND HISTORY

II. FROM HOMER TO HERODOTUS

Ill. THE SIXTH CENTURY: THE NEW WORLD ORDER

IV. THE MAN AND THE WORK

V. THE DOWNFALLV THE DOWNFALL OF GREATNESS

VI. THE STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH

VII. THE KINGDOM OF CULTURE

VIII. THE ART OF THE STORYTELLER

IX. REASON, CREDULITY, AND FAITH

X. THE FIFTH CENTURY: WARS BETWEEN WORLDS

XI. CHARACTERS AND CHARACTERIZATION

XII. PERSIANS AND GREEKS

XIII. THE GREAT WAR AND THE GREAT AGE

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

INDEX

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 24. Apr 2020)

ISBN:

9780300146684

030014668X

OCLC:

1024040386