The Forum > General Discussion > Western Civilisation - the beginning
Western Civilisation - the beginning
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I noticed that you refer to Herodotus. According to
Langer's ""Western Civilisation: Paleolithic Man to
the Emergence of European Powers," Herodotus is the
most attractive ancient historian.
Brought up on the epic story of the struggle between
East and West, he determined to study its origins, and
traveled widely in Anatolia, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Scythia,
and Greece, everywhere observing, measuring, interviewing,
until finally he settled in Athens among the Periclean
intellectuals and set about, as he himself says,
" the publications of his researches, that neither men's
deeds may fade with time, nor the great and marvelous
works shown forth by both the Greeks and the barbarians
remain unsung.both other matters and what they fought
each other for."
This manifesto, we're told strikes an entirely new note in
historiography.
Herodotus regards his work as research. He is fair to both
sides, and he consciously looks for causation.
Focusing on the Persian Empire, he grouped systemmetrically
around it the history of Asia, Egypt, and Europe, the
Greek known world. What is attractive about him we're told
is his respect for other people's ways, his interest in their
cultures, and his delight in a good story.
He's been called the father of history. We're told that
modern research confirms his accuracy more every year.