300 and the battle over Herodotus
March 17th 2007 04:07
When I started blogging about Herodotus, I was hardly aware of the movie 300. Now that the movie is released and has caused a firestorm of controversy, the ultimate account on which it is based, Histories of Herodotus, can hardly be left behind. Quite predictabley, Herodotus is being dragged over coals.
Here's a neo-Persian tirade against him:
For many Iranians the cinematic movie ‘300’ may come as a shocking revelation. But to those of us who came up through America’s school system, the ‘Battle of Thermopylae,’ which is what the movie ‘300’ is based on, is as familiar as George Washington’s fabled “cherry tree” incident.
The Battle of Thermopylae was of course written by the classical Greek author, Herodotus, who lived in the Persian city of Halicarnassus. His book, ‘The Histories’ became part of Western folklore only recently. It was not until about 1850 that America embraced Herodotus as the leading authority on Persian history.
Before 1850, however, the West had a very favorable impression of the Persian Empire. That’s because the West’s main source for Persian history was the Bible and the ‘Cyropaedia,’ written by another Greek author named Xenophon.
But the Cyropaedia glorified the monarchy of Cyrus The Great, and in the wake of two bloody revolutions fought by America and France to liberate themselves from their own monarchies, a major campaign began, around the mid 19th century, to promote democracy throughout the rest of Europe, and Herodotus was the perfect propaganda tool.
Herodotus was a democratic groupie and was quickly ushered in as the “Father Of History.” Around 1850, his ‘Battle Of Thermopylae’ came to symbolize the West’s struggle for democracy against the powerful forces of Persia’s monarchy.
From there on, it goes onto a rapturous re-imagination of Persia, something which need not concern us. I am not a Herodotus scholar nor have been schooled by American school system, but the channel of transmission displayed here is interesting. I cannot comment on its veracity but what is striking is that a 2,500 old document should still be the centerpiece of a current passionate debate. If this controversy brings more readers to his stunning piece of art, then one can only be thankful about it.
My work is cut out then. Blog the rest of Herodotus.
Here's a neo-Persian tirade against him:
For many Iranians the cinematic movie ‘300’ may come as a shocking revelation. But to those of us who came up through America’s school system, the ‘Battle of Thermopylae,’ which is what the movie ‘300’ is based on, is as familiar as George Washington’s fabled “cherry tree” incident.
The Battle of Thermopylae was of course written by the classical Greek author, Herodotus, who lived in the Persian city of Halicarnassus. His book, ‘The Histories’ became part of Western folklore only recently. It was not until about 1850 that America embraced Herodotus as the leading authority on Persian history.
Before 1850, however, the West had a very favorable impression of the Persian Empire. That’s because the West’s main source for Persian history was the Bible and the ‘Cyropaedia,’ written by another Greek author named Xenophon.
But the Cyropaedia glorified the monarchy of Cyrus The Great, and in the wake of two bloody revolutions fought by America and France to liberate themselves from their own monarchies, a major campaign began, around the mid 19th century, to promote democracy throughout the rest of Europe, and Herodotus was the perfect propaganda tool.
Herodotus was a democratic groupie and was quickly ushered in as the “Father Of History.” Around 1850, his ‘Battle Of Thermopylae’ came to symbolize the West’s struggle for democracy against the powerful forces of Persia’s monarchy.
From there on, it goes onto a rapturous re-imagination of Persia, something which need not concern us. I am not a Herodotus scholar nor have been schooled by American school system, but the channel of transmission displayed here is interesting. I cannot comment on its veracity but what is striking is that a 2,500 old document should still be the centerpiece of a current passionate debate. If this controversy brings more readers to his stunning piece of art, then one can only be thankful about it.
My work is cut out then. Blog the rest of Herodotus.
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