Clio , The First Book of Histories of Herodotus
February 18th 2007 06:57
In his superb opening passages, Herodotus explains why he writing this history and also lays down his method when he introduces his themes by phrases like, "the Persians say that", "the Phoenicians say that" etc etc. He is letting them do the talking. Also, the beginnings of the quarrel reach firmly back into the realm of myths and the injustice done by the abduction of Europa or the rape of Helen are all current matters of debate.
After starting with the "Who threw the stone first debate?", Herodotus says that he will not take part in the debate himself but will go further with his story. And the story is "an account of the cities of men, small as well as great: for those which in old times were great
have for the most part become small, while those that were in my own time great used in former times to be small: so then, since I know that human prosperity never continues steadfast, I shall make mention of both indifferently."
There is an immense sense of sadness in that indifference for it comes with the painful realization that prosperity is never steadfast.
Then, Herodotus begins his story, not in Hellas, not in Persia, the chief protagonists but in Asia Minor, where Croesus of Lydia is "the first barbarian of whom we have knowledge." This barbarian is important for eventually he will be subdued by Persians as they begin their imperial march.
Lydian history contains the very famous Candaules episode. Candaules, proud of his wife's beauty, wants his friend Gyges to see her naked and judge for himself. When the wife notices what transpired she conspires with Gyges to kill her husband and install Gyges as the king. This is the myth behind the rise of the new dynasty and Croesus is the last king of this new Lydian dynasty.
A large section of the first book delas with history of this new Lydian dynasty and as usual in Herodotus, myth and fact are closely intertwined. The Pythian oracle pronounces that the vengeance for the murder of Candaules is to come in the fifth generation but the Gyges dynasty ignores it. Meanwhile, it has prdouced a line of kings of whom Alyattes turns Lydia into a sizeable empire. His son, Croesus, was a very famous king whose wealth had become proverbial.
The Croesus account contains such notable legends as Solon's visit and the boar of Atys. The reign of Croesus is also coincidenal with the rise of that other very famous emperor of antiquity, Cyrus of Persia. Croesus decides to invade the Persians and cut their incipient power and sends for the Pythian Oracle who replies that a grat kingdom will be destroyed in the battle. Taking this as an affirmative sign, Croesus marches against the Persians only to be defeated by them. In bitterness, when he consults the oracle again, the Oracle replies that by destruction of a grat kingdom it had meant Croesus's own. The defeated Croesus becomes the confidante of Cyrus and now the story of Herodotus turns to its chief protoganists, the Persians.
The once mighty Assyrian empire was thrown away by a ragtag tribe of Medes. Medes then form a monarchy whose chequered state of power is notable for the Scythian invasion. The Median king Astyages marries his sister Mandane to a lowly Persian called Cambyses, whose union produces Cyrus. Persians were first subordinates of Median kings and it is Cyrus who overthrows the median yoke and establishes the Persian dynasty and empire. Cyrus like every other hero has a mythical history where he is brought up by different parents than his own. (See my entry on The Myth of the Birth of a Hero by Otto Rank.)
Cyrus then overthrows the Median yoke and his victory over Croesus makes him the emperor of all Asia. This concludes the first book except that Herodotus, as much an ethnographer as a historian, includes the ethnographies of both the Lydians and the Persians.
After starting with the "Who threw the stone first debate?", Herodotus says that he will not take part in the debate himself but will go further with his story. And the story is "an account of the cities of men, small as well as great: for those which in old times were great
There is an immense sense of sadness in that indifference for it comes with the painful realization that prosperity is never steadfast.
Then, Herodotus begins his story, not in Hellas, not in Persia, the chief protagonists but in Asia Minor, where Croesus of Lydia is "the first barbarian of whom we have knowledge." This barbarian is important for eventually he will be subdued by Persians as they begin their imperial march.
Lydian history contains the very famous Candaules episode. Candaules, proud of his wife's beauty, wants his friend Gyges to see her naked and judge for himself. When the wife notices what transpired she conspires with Gyges to kill her husband and install Gyges as the king. This is the myth behind the rise of the new dynasty and Croesus is the last king of this new Lydian dynasty.
A large section of the first book delas with history of this new Lydian dynasty and as usual in Herodotus, myth and fact are closely intertwined. The Pythian oracle pronounces that the vengeance for the murder of Candaules is to come in the fifth generation but the Gyges dynasty ignores it. Meanwhile, it has prdouced a line of kings of whom Alyattes turns Lydia into a sizeable empire. His son, Croesus, was a very famous king whose wealth had become proverbial.
The Croesus account contains such notable legends as Solon's visit and the boar of Atys. The reign of Croesus is also coincidenal with the rise of that other very famous emperor of antiquity, Cyrus of Persia. Croesus decides to invade the Persians and cut their incipient power and sends for the Pythian Oracle who replies that a grat kingdom will be destroyed in the battle. Taking this as an affirmative sign, Croesus marches against the Persians only to be defeated by them. In bitterness, when he consults the oracle again, the Oracle replies that by destruction of a grat kingdom it had meant Croesus's own. The defeated Croesus becomes the confidante of Cyrus and now the story of Herodotus turns to its chief protoganists, the Persians.
The once mighty Assyrian empire was thrown away by a ragtag tribe of Medes. Medes then form a monarchy whose chequered state of power is notable for the Scythian invasion. The Median king Astyages marries his sister Mandane to a lowly Persian called Cambyses, whose union produces Cyrus. Persians were first subordinates of Median kings and it is Cyrus who overthrows the median yoke and establishes the Persian dynasty and empire. Cyrus like every other hero has a mythical history where he is brought up by different parents than his own. (See my entry on The Myth of the Birth of a Hero by Otto Rank.)
Cyrus then overthrows the Median yoke and his victory over Croesus makes him the emperor of all Asia. This concludes the first book except that Herodotus, as much an ethnographer as a historian, includes the ethnographies of both the Lydians and the Persians.
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