Herodotus in Context
Herodotus in Context
$53.00
USDThis book examines the Histories of Herodotus within the context of the intellectual climate of the mid to late fifth century BC. Herodotus is read widely for his accounts of archaic Greek history but his descriptions of Egypt, Scythia and Libya are equally fascinating. Rosalind Thomas concentrates on the latter, along with Herodotus' accounts of the wonders of nature and his methods of convincing his audiences, seeing these as part of the world of scientific inquiry and controversy more familiar from the natural philosophers and medical works of the time.
- Concentrates on the ethnography and geography rather than the historical narrative alone
- Undertakes an extensive comparison with the contemporary and near-contemporary thinkers who wrote about natural philosophy and the nature of man
- Sees Herodotus as a writer who does 'fit' into the exciting developments of the world of the late fifth century BC in his own way
Reviews & endorsements
"The "Father of History," Herodotus, has developed into a particularly active field of research in the past 25 years and hardly goes by without an important new study. This book by Thomas is one of the best." Choice
"...this leads to a provacative, yet highly compelling, new perspective on the intellectual and cultural dynamics of this seminal era... Thomas has made a valuable contribution to our appreciation of Herodotus and his work, and to our understanding of the fertile, fluid, and contentious intellectual atmosphere in which he lived and to which he contributed." New England Classical Journal
"The 'Father of History,' Herodotus, has developed into a particularly active field of research in the past 25 years and hardly a year goes by without an important new study. This book by Thomas is one of the best." --Choice
Product details
August 2002Paperback
9780521012416
332 pages
228 × 151 × 20 mm
0.504kg
Available
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgements
- References and texts
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Medicine and the ethnography of health
- 3. Dividing the world: Europe, Asia, Greeks and barbarians
- 4. Nomos is king: nomos, environment and ethnic character in Herodotus
- 5. 'Wonders' and the natural world: natural philosophy and historie
- 6. Argument and the language of proof
- 7. Polemic and persuasion
- 8. Performance, competitive display and apodeixis
- 9. Epilogue
- Appendix. beavers and female ailments
- Bibliography
- Indexes.
