Herodotus - narrator, scientist, historian

Description

Recently the importance for Herodotus' work of contemporary medical and sophistic thought and techniques of argument has been widely recognised, as long had been his dependence on and difference from earlier geographical and ethnographic writing. This volume focuses on the place of these interests in his investigatory techniques and sets them alongside his many narrative skills, from superficially traditonal battle narrative and reworking of Greek or non-Greek traditions that border on myth to the structuring of narrative by highlighting the life of objects, and addresses such fundamental issues as how he chooses between competing explanations and how far he valued truth. The book tackles many of the basic issues that confront any attempt to understand Herodotus' work. Preface Contents I. Narrator Ὁμηρικώτατος? Battle Narratives in Herodotus Herodotus the story-teller Justifying Violence in Herodotus’ Histories 3.38: Nomos, King of All, and Pindaric Poetics Sophocles’ Oedipus and Herodotus’ Periander Time, Thy Pyramids: The Novella of Mycerinus (Herodotus 2.129–134) Herodotus on queens and courtesans of Egypt II. Scientist Herodotus mapping out his genre: the interaction of myth and geography in the Libyan logos Herodotus the geographer Herodotus as a literary critic Herodotus on Health and Disease III. Historian Causes in competition: Herodotus and Hippocratics ἱστορέειν and θωμάζειν: scientific terms and signs of unity in Herodotus’ Histories Χρυσός, χρόνος, and κλέος: objects of gold, cognition, ambiguity, and authority in Herodotus’ Lydian logos Truth and authority in Herodotus’ narrative: false stories and true stories List of Contributors Bibliography Index Locorum Index of names and subjects