HERODOTUS: HISTORIES

Garden of Serenity圖書與參考資源2019-03-08

價格：免費

更新日期：2019-03-08

檔案大小：5.3M

目前版本：1.1

版本需求：Android 4.1 以上版本

官方網站：mailto:gardenofserenity88@gmail.com

Email：https://ctrlv.it/id/118444/1088233717

聯絡地址：B-7-1, No.9 Persiaran Bukit Utama, 9 Bukit Utama, Bandar Utama, 47800, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

Herodotus (c. 484 – 425/413 BCE) was a Greek writer who invented the field of study known today as `history’. He was called `The Father of History’ by the Roman writer and orator Cicero for his famous work The Histories but has also been called “The Father of Lies” by critics who claim these `histories’ are little more than tall tales.

Criticism of Herodotus’ work seems to have originated among Athenians who took exception to his account of the Battle of Marathon (490 BCE) and, specifically, which families were due the most honor for the victory over the Persians. More serious criticism of his work has to do with the credibility of the accounts of his travels.

One example of this is his claim of fox-sized ants in Persia who spread gold dust when digging their mounds. This account has been rejected for centuries until, in 1984 CE, the French author and explorer Michel Peissel, confirmed that a fox-sized marmot in the Himalayas did indeed spread gold dust when digging and that accounts showed the animal had done so in antiquity as the villagers had a long history of gathering this dust.

Peissel also explains that the Persian word for `mountain ant’ was very close to their word for `marmot’ and so it was established that Herodotus was not making up his giant ants but, since he did not speak Persian and had to rely on translators, was the victim of a misunderstanding in translation. This same scenario could apply to other observations and claims found in Herodotus' histories though, certainly, not all. In the interests of telling a good story, Herodotus sometimes indulged in speculation and, at other times, repeated stories he had heard as though they were his own experiences.