Concetti Chiave
- Herodotus is considered the "father of history," known for defining history as a broad exploration of human events and achievements.
- His work extends beyond a single state or period, offering detailed accounts of his travels and the diverse cultures he encountered.
- Unlike other historical records focused on political events, Herodotus included geography, customs, and beliefs, pioneering a comprehensive view of history.
- He is recognized not only as a historian but also as an early anthropologist and ethnographer, describing various civilizations.
- Despite criticism for incorporating myths and legends, Herodotus's approach reflects a modern understanding of history as a product of entire civilizations.
Herodotus: birth of historiography
According to a traditional definition, Herodotus was "the father of history" (born in Halicarnassus, on the coasts of Asia minor, around 484 BC), who was also the oldest definition of the word "history" (Historie). In fact, he writes at the beginning of his work: "This is exposure that Herodotus of Turi (of which he later became national) is of his research, that human events does not fade into oblivion over time and the great and marvelous enterprises accomplished so much by the Greeks as the bastard are not barbarians".
But one can also wonder what the search of Herodotus meant insinuate?In his stories in nine books Herodotus described not just the story of a single State or a single historical period, but offered an account of travels that had led him in every corner of the globe, and customs of the people who he had visited: Egyptians, Persians, Scythians, Babylonians. Unlike the Egyptian or Mesopotamian Chronicles that recount in a subjective way businesses of Kings and Pharaohs, unlike the Bible which tells the story of people, but also Greek and Latin historians later will identify "story" as with political events, Herodotus has a broader view of history and of what is worth "researching". He comes up to the ends of the Earth to see what happened in different regions and describes not only the "things" that happen (wars, battles, political facts), but first the geography, landscape, habits of the people, their stories, traditions, myths, religious beliefs, etc.
That of Herodotus is a journey through the cultures and civilization different: therefore he was not only the first historians, but also the first of anthropologists and ethnographers, or "people's descriptors".
In Herodotus later historians (and before any Thucydides) have scolded to give credit to "superstition" (legends, fairy tales, oral traditions and mythology) without vetting or carefully checking its origin.
This instead represents, from a certain point of view, modernity: as he conceives the story as the product of a whole civilization with all its traditions and beliefs, even questionable.
Domande da interrogazione
- ¿Por qué se considera a Heródoto como "el padre de la historia"?
- ¿Qué diferencia a Heródoto de otros cronistas egipcios o mesopotámicos?
- ¿Cómo veían los historiadores posteriores el enfoque de Heródoto hacia las tradiciones y mitologías?
Heródoto es considerado "el padre de la historia" porque fue el primero en ofrecer una visión amplia de la historia, no limitada a un solo estado o período, sino abarcando diversas culturas y civilizaciones, describiendo no solo eventos políticos, sino también geografía, costumbres, tradiciones y creencias religiosas.
A diferencia de los cronistas egipcios o mesopotámicos que narraban de manera subjetiva las hazañas de reyes y faraones, Heródoto ofreció una perspectiva más amplia, incluyendo descripciones de diferentes pueblos y sus culturas, lo que lo convierte también en uno de los primeros antropólogos y etnógrafos.
Los historiadores posteriores, como Tucídides, criticaron a Heródoto por dar crédito a supersticiones, leyendas y mitologías sin verificar cuidadosamente sus orígenes, aunque desde otro punto de vista, esto representa una modernidad al concebir la historia como el producto de una civilización completa con todas sus tradiciones y creencias.
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