Moral History from Herodotus to Diodorus Siculus

Lisa Hau

book: Moral History from Herodotus to Diodorus Siculus

Open Access Published by Edinburgh University Press 2016

Moral History from Herodotus to Diodorus Siculus

Lisa Hau

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781474411080

Overview
Contents

About this book

An investigation of moral-didactic techniques and messages in ancient Greek historiography

Why did human beings first begin to write history? Lisa Irene Hau argues that a driving force among Greek historians was the desire to use the past to teach lessons about the present and for the future. She uncovers the moral messages of the ancient Greek writers of history and the techniques they used to bring them across. Hau also shows how moral didacticism was an integral part of the writing of history from its inception in the 5th century BC, how it developed over the next 500 years in parallel with the development of historiography as a genre and how the moral messages on display remained surprisingly stable across this period.

For the ancient Greek historiographers, moral didacticism was a way of making sense of the past and making it relevant to the present; but this does not mean that they falsified events: truth and morality were compatible and synergistic ends.

Key features and benefits

Covers the five most substantially preserved historical texts from Classical and Hellenistic Greece: Herodotos, Thucydides, Xenophon, Polybios, and Diodoros
Offers a comprehensive analysis of the moral-didactic techniques used and moral messages propounded by each of these authors
Compares the practices and messages of the different works to arrive at a diachronic understanding of the role of moral didacticism in Classical and Hellenistic historiography.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Preface Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Introduction Open Access Download PDF	1
PART I: HELLENISTIC HISTORIOGRAPHY
1. Polybius Open Access Download PDF	23
2. Diodorus Siculus Open Access Download PDF	73
3. Fragmentary Hellenistic Historiography Open Access Download PDF	124
PART II: CLASSICAL HISTORIOGRAPHY
INTRODUCTION Open Access Download PDF	171
4. Herodotus Open Access Download PDF	172
5. Thucydides Open Access Download PDF	194
6. Xenophon, Hellenica Open Access Download PDF	216
7. Fragmentary Classical Historiography Open Access Download PDF	245
Conclusion Open Access Download PDF	272
Bibliography Open Access Download PDF	278
Index of Citations Open Access Download PDF	299
General Index Open Access Download PDF	307

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
Audience: College/higher education;
Pages
- Main content: 320
Keywords: Classics & Ancient History

eBook

Published: June 20, 2016
ISBN: 9781474411080