Herodotus and the Question Why / / Christopher Pelling.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter University of Texas Press Complete eBook-Package 2019
• VerfasserIn: Pelling, Christopher,
• Place / Publishing House: Austin : : University of Texas Press, , [2021]; ©2019
• Year of Publication: 2021
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (360 p.)

In the 5th century BCE, Herodotus wrote the first known Western history to build on the tradition of Homeric storytelling, basing his text on empirical observations and arranging them systematically. Herodotus and the Question Why offers a comprehensive examination of the methods behind the Histories and the challenge of documenting human experiences, from the Persian Wars to cultural traditions. In lively, accessible prose, Christopher Pelling explores such elements as reconstructing the mentalities of storyteller and audience alike; distinctions between the human and the divine; and the evolving concepts of freedom, democracy, and individualism. Pelling traces the similarities between Herodotus's approach to physical phenomena (Why does the Nile flood?) and to landmark events (Why did Xerxes invade Greece? And why did the Greeks win?), delivering a fascinating look at the explanatory process itself. The cultural forces that shaped Herodotus's thinking left a lasting legacy for us, making Herodotus and the Question Why especially relevant as we try to record and narrate the stories of our time and to fully understand them.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Abbreviations -- Preface -- Chapter 1 Why did it a ll happen? -- Chapter 2 To blame and to explain: Narrative complications -- Chapter 3 How can you possibly know? -- Chapter 4 Adventures in prose -- Chapter 5 Hippocratic affinities -- Chapter 6 Explanations in combination -- Chapter 7 Early moves -- Chapter 8 Empire -- Chapter 9 Herodotus’ Persian stories -- Chapter 10 The human and the divine -- Chapter 11 Explaining victory -- Chapter 12 Freedom -- Chapter 13 Democracy -- Chapter 14 Individuals and collectives -- Chapter 15 Then and now: Herodotus’ own day -- Chapter 16 Why indeed? -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Passages in Herodotus -- Passages in Other Authors -- General Index