To make his history livelier, herodotus included stories that were not necessarily true. The differences between herodotus and thucydides are in style, interpretation, and purpose. After 27 years of conflict, sparta won, and athens went into decline. Herodotus and thucydides were the first historians, but their work was very different. Mark the statements that describe a difference between the historical writings of herodotus and thucydides. He detested any reliance on the supernatural, abhorred subjectivity and strived to be as objecti. His works are important because he was the first to pursue a scientific approach. What thucydides teaches us about war, politics, and the human. Jul 26, 2018 differences between herodotus and thucydides. Books iv describe the background to the grecopersian wars. Cicero, a roman politician and lawyer, regarded herodotus as the father of history, a title that has remained with him for centuries luce. However, this title has come with some controversy, as herodotus relied on a mixture of orally passed down accounts, myths, and rumors.
Theorist of war in addressing the difference between clausewitz and thucydides as theorists of war, murray makes the following observation. May 03, 2012 edith foster is associate professor of history at ashland university. Another key difference is that herodotus chronicles show what moral lessons can be learnt. Nov 09, 2011 a comparison of herodotus and thucydides the persian and peloponnesian wars were both significant conflicts that tested independence. Herodotus method of inquiry consisted of relying on other peoples testimony, customs and laws to speculate about the sincerity and motives of the sources upon which he compiled the accounts of. Thucydides aim was a strictly accurate record of the peloponnesian war with a lead up of its origins. Thucydides describes their work by the word xuntiqinai, but his own by xuggraqeinthe difference between the terms answering to that, between compilation of a somewhat mechanical kind and historic composition in a higher sense. Particularly in geographical matters, polybius seems to inhabit the same thought. The ancient greek historian of the peloponnesian war, who lived almost 2,500 years ago, makes the title of graham allisons prominent new volume, destined for war. One of the greatest ancient historians, thucydides c. A historian for our time thucydides may have been the more trustworthy historian, but herodotus would have been more fun to share a wineskin withand is a. Thucydides only described events that happened during his own lifetime, specifically the pellopenesian war. Such at least was the opinion of marcellinus in his life of thucydides.
Thucydides and herodotus examines the relevant relationship between these historians which is considered, especially nowadays, by historians and philologists to be more. The work of herodotus and that of thucydides contrasts starkly, even though they were contemporaries. He is known for having written the book the histories greek. What is the difference between the works of herodotus and. Robert strassler, the editor of the edition youve recommended, the landmark herodotus, writes, although i had a high opinion of herodotus when i began work on this edition in 1997, i felt at the time that thucydides was the greater historian of the two. The relationship between thucydides and herodotus, the founding fathers of western history, has always fuelled heated debates between scholars. This volume, like the conference from which it derives, is devoted to the reception of thucydides.
Gods and legends played no role in his history of the peloponnesian war between athens and sparta, which took place in the late fifth century bc. But the greatest difference is the fact that herodotus was a real researcher, an empiricist. What is the difference between herodotus and thucydides in. The greek writer thucydides thoosiduhdees is credited with writing the first scientific history. Herodotus description of the causes of the trojan war in book i of his. Herodotus, a greek from the city of halicarnassus in asia minor todays bodrum in turkey, published his histories sometime between 426 and 415 bce. Documenting these wars was obviously hard at this point of civilization, but two men did, and are now known as the great writers of their time. Herodotus has 270 books on goodreads with 123868 ratings. Why is thucydides considered the historians historian. To objectively measure the difference in methods between the two of them. The city we now know as bodrum, turkey had a prime location along the.
This partitioning was a development of the third century b. Herodotus, thucydides, and historiography research papers. This is a debate that comes down to what you think the model historian should be. Herodotus wrote about the persian wars and is credited with. Herodotus or thucydides has been well visited in classical scholarship. The first book on your list is by vincent azoulay, and its called pericles of athens. Herodotus visited babylon, phoenicia, egypt, southern russia, and athens, settling in the athenian colony of thurii in southern italy in 443 b. It is suggested that some herodotean elements have filtered their way into polybius. Thucydides is regarded as the scientific historian, relying on facts, dates, events and personalities to present the factual narrative of history. His history of the peloponnesian war recounts the fifthcentury bc war between sparta and athens until the year 411 bc.
As the italian classicist silvana cagnazzi has pointed out, it is possible to subdivide every book into three units, the logoi. And to my surprise alot of modern day historians and lovers of history proclaim thucydides to be the superior historian because he mostly ignored factors like. Herodotus was a good story teller, thucydides was a sacked general setting the record straight. Eons seem to separate the tone, character, and style of their respective works. Mark the statements that describe a difference between the. Thucydides was athenian historian who also served as an athenian general during the war. Herodotus was a greek historian who was the first to break away from homeric tradition and treated history subjects as investigations, and then organized his historical work into a historiographic narrative. Herodotus was curious and learned everything he could about the nongreek world. After reading this great and oh so long works i did some research about the impact of them both. Indeed stadters paper models two ways that many of the other contributions take up the matter of the connections between herodotus and thucydides. Thucydides and herodotus examines the relevant relationship between these historians which is considered, especially nowadays, by historians and philologists to be more significant than previously. Particularly in geographical matters, polybius seems to inhabit the same thoughtworld as. The volume includes an introduction by the editors which addresses our changing view of how.
Herodotus followed the career of thucydides for years before. In writing this book, i have incurred a number of debts. As others have pointed out, it is of the opinion of many that thucydides comes across as more of a persuasive orator than herodotus who, in comparison, seems to glue together everything he could find in an organized fashion and keep himself at a distance. Herodotus has provided his systematic methods and vivid narratives, while thucydides has contributed his objectivity and cautiousness to how western civilization interprets history. It is still one of the most contested historiographical subjects and has become increasingly fashionable in the past few decades, which have seen the tables turned with the rehabilitation of herodotus. The standard modern position holds that polybius did not know, and owed nothing to herodotus. She is the author of thucydides, pericles, and periclean imperialism, of articles on thucydides and lucretius in the american journal of philology 2009 and in sea of languages. Comparison of herodotus and thucydides has become an increasing focus.
Eventually, thucydides and herodotus became close enough for both to be interred in thucydides tomb in athens. Hardly any justification is needed for the topic of this book. A first difference is that homer was a poet using a complex meter, whereas herodotus composed his logoi in prose. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Pericles was a general, the leader we most associate with athens golden age, but he ended up dying of plague before the end of the peloponnesian war. Thucydides was probably connected through family to the athenian statesman and general miltiades and his son cimon, leaders of the old aristocracy supplanted by the radical democrats. Lets talk about the books youve chosen to better understand thucydides and his time. Thucydides and herodotus examines the relevant relationship between these historians which is considered, especially nowadays, by historians and philologists to be more significant than previously realized. His purpose had been formed at the very beginning of the war, in the conviction that it would prove more important than any event of which greeks had record.
What is the difference between herodotus and thucydides in terms. A comparison of herodotus and thucydides the persian and peloponnesian wars were both significant conflicts that tested independence. As it has survived, the history is divided into nine books the division is not the authors. What thucydides teaches us about war, politics, and the. History as the elaborated, secular, prose narrative of public events began in 5thcentury greece, and its two fathers, herodotus and thucydides, demonstrate by their difference the wide diversity of aims and methods that the project of history can contain within itself, and the immense scope of its subject matter. In antiquity, nine scrolls were needed to contain the entire text, and it is still usual to divide the histories into nine books. The differences between herodotus and thucydides are in style, interpretation and purpose. Today, the histories are usually edited in one volume.
The great historian merits this because his analysis of the causes of the ancient war between the. Herodotus entertained athenians and other greeks by reading parts of his work for a fee. Essays examine the interface between historiography and rhetoric, while undermining the claim that historians after thucydides allowed rhetoric to prevail over research. Between thucydides and polybius focuses on the contribution of fourthcentury authors such as ephorus, theopompus, and xenophon to the development of greek historiography. Aug 02, 2018 why did you choose thucydides over herodotus on the essentials schedule for old western culture essentials schedule for reference. Books viix contain the history of the wars, culminating in an. Thucydides and herodotus examines the relevant relationship between these historians which is considered, especially nowadays, by historians and philologists to be more significant than. For many years, he had been writing an account of the wars between greece and persia, which had ended when he was a small child. Cultures thucydides and homer, though they lived a relatively short 300 years apart, wrote about very different greek cultures.
Similarities and differences between herodotus and thucydides histories have. Thucydides account of the war is one of the earliest scholarly works of history hellenica written by xenophon accounts for the final seven years of the peloponnesian war that was not covered by thucydides. Apr 03, 2008 history as the elaborated, secular, prose narrative of public events began in 5thcentury greece, and its two fathers, herodotus and thucydides, demonstrate by their difference the wide diversity of aims and methods that the project of history can contain within itself, and the immense scope of its subject matter. He detested any reliance on the supernatural, abhorred subjectivity and strived to be as objective as possible. While the greeks who homer wrote about in the iliad were, in many respects, dissimilar to the greeks in thucydides history of the peloponnesian war. Parmeggiani ferrara has collected a dozen essays by himself and other specialists, on the nature and evolution of historiography in the centuries following thucydides c. When analyzing the writings of herodotus and thucydides, the authors.
Herodotus quoted many other written sources in his history. As digital tools have demonstrated the data to infer the differences between both historians, their impact on the subject of history is unquestionable. What are the common things between thucydides and herodotus. Modeling, to compare herodotus the histories and thucydides history of the. Aesthetically, i really like the newer series with its crisp poliphilus typeface on smooth cream salzer wove paper.
What is different about the works of herodotus and thucydides. Between thucydides and polybius giovanni parmeggiani. The volume consists of books 2 of livys history of rome and conforms to the style of other volumes in this series, such as the herodotus and thucydides both 2006 described above. The beginnings of thucydides and herodotus as rhetorical texts. Compare and contrast the historical methods uk essays. The difference between herodotus introduction and that of thucydides is as remarkable as the difference in their method of historical inquiry. The golden age of greek historiography hellenic studies hellenic studies series by giovanni parmeggiani 20141104 on. While herodotus was labelled as the father of history by cicero, partly for first using history historia to explain his craft. Sep 22, 2010 the volume consists of books 2 of livys history of rome and conforms to the style of other volumes in this series, such as the herodotus and thucydides both 2006 described above.
At the outset of the history thucydides indicates his general conception of his work, and states the principles which governed its composition. Jul 23, 2018 the differences between herodotus and thucydides are in style, interpretation and purpose. With essential historical data conveyed, we can return back to our comparison and contrast of the two historians. Compare and contrast the historical methods, interests, and objectives of herodotus. His works are important because he was the first to pursue a. The differences between herodotus and thucydides are in style. A historian for our time thucydides may have been the more trustworthy historian, but herodotus would have been more fun to share a wineskin withand is a better guide to the godfilled. One of the most renowned parts of his history is the melian dialogue, where thucydides reports on a conversation that took place between envoys from an invading athenian force and officials from the small island citystate of melos, which the athenians were about to assault. The best books on thucydides five books expert recommendations.
Why did you choose thucydides over herodotus on the essentials schedule for old western culture essentials schedule for reference. Thucydides and herodotus in the ancient rhetorical. Herodotus covers a good deal of culture and the interrelations between people and countries while often allowing himself to be sidetracked with interesting if not so relevant side notes, whereas thucydides relates the peloponnesian war with attention to the most important events, speeches, and persons involved without going into even a quarter. I used to think highly of the difference between historians and poets, but now i think that.
This edited collection looks at two of the most important ancient greek historians living in the 5th century bce who are considered to be the founders of the western tradition of historiography. My concern in this paper is with an undoubted contemporary, none other. The first phase of that reception is in many ways the hardest for us to evaluate, that is, thucydidesreception by his own contemporaries, and by the writers of the first few decades of the fourth century1. Herodotuss subject in his history is the wars between greece and persia 499479 bce and their preliminaries. The relationship between thucydides and herodotus, the founding fathers of. View herodotus, thucydides, and historiography research papers on academia. Stylistic and methodological comparison in herodotus. A comparison of herodotus and thucydides essay 611 words. Herodotus passes no judgement, but reports what he has heard, even when plainly ridiculous. Fragment from herodotus histories, book viii on papyrus oxyrhynchus. Yu found historical records such detailed and vivid scenes as in the last few books of herodotus, like the battles of marathon and thermopylae and the sea battles at salamis between the greek and the persian navies, or the moving description of the illfated sicilian expedition in books 6 and 7 of thucydides yu 29. In fact, there is a noteworthy and important difference between thucydides and clausewitz. This chapter addresses the question of possible herodotean influence on polybius histories. Herodotus wrote that the name olorus, thucydidess fathers name, was connected with thrace and thracian royalty.
567 1251 132 749 1385 180 325 984 235 389 980 711 398 1222 1335 144 77 1155 1237 1398 370 870 1358 142 798 1362 217 767 309