Golden Age of Greek Historiography

1. Herodotus
Herodotus came from Greece in Asia Minor, and was born around 485 BC at Halicarnassus, which when it includes the Persian empire, but has its own ruler. In the age of 16 Herodotus had taken part in a rebellion against the ruler Lygdamis, with the result that he was banished (exiled). After that he lived some time in Athens, where he was associated with Pericles and Sophocles. 

Thus Herodotus lived in the golden era of Greek culture khsusunya Athens, namely Pentekontaetie age or 50 years (479 BC - 431 BC), which is a period or a period of peace between the Persian wars and the War Peloposesia. That period was the peak period of Greek development, which ultimately also known as classical culture, and growing throughout Europe, America and the world after the Renaissance era. Thus, in an effort to study the history of Western culture such as literature, law, philosophy, statecraft, political, economic, social and so everything can be returned or traced from Greek and Roman culture. The same also applies to the historiography.

At first the Greek culture was derived from a culture that has evolved in Ionia (Turkey) which is then further grow and develop in the Peloponnese, Peloponnese (poleis) Greece and finally to Sicily (Italy). The spread was in line or closely associated with the development and trading activities in Central and Eastern seas, which is a meeting of traders of the ancient nations of Egypt, Persia and so on. Also in line with the maintenance of political stability then comes the shipping and commerce that marked the second phase of cultural development across the "sea in". In the Ocean of Culture is also referred to as Tlalassis culture, where cultural ties across the ocean have been using the tools of communication / transport shipping and trade are quite advanced by the size of the time

Cultural development is supported by advances in shipping and trading in Greece led to policyholders (city) Athens as a center of trade and shipping in the Mediterranean. In the city that meet and socialize / communicate and affect each other even the merchants of various nationalities who are not familiar with the skin of discrimination. Besides basically traders are people who are accustomed to living free in thought, hang out and issued an opinion in the business. Atmosphere of freedom that become habits of life that later became a major factor support or the development of science / philosophy based on the ratio. While the absolute requirement that the ratio of (mind) that develops is the existence of climate or opportunities, freedom and liberty, where the atmosphere seperrti was there in Athens.

In contrast to Athens, in Greece there is a policy that Agriculture Sparta, where the livelihoods of its inhabitants mainly from agriculture and livestock (agrarian). Characteristic of an agrarian society is closed and the feudal society with an established hierarchy from top to bottom, while a tight community organizations led by military discipline. Therefore a growing community culture is the field of physical and war.

In the year 444 BC Herodotus was involved in founding the colony Thurii in southern Italy, where he lived for several years as a second homeland. After that it seems that he returned to Athens and died about the year 424 BC. Herodotus traveled widely among other adventures along the coast of Asia Minor, the land of Greece, the Black Sea, Babylon, the Nile Valley, Sicily and Southern Italy. In this journey he made many notes to collect the various countries visited, which may be partly collected in the record and some only in memory. All of his memoirs is a source material for his work great is historiai. In contrast to his predecessors and contemporaries friends, which is known as the logograf, who wrote many stories and myths of heroism, Herodotus was more interested in human history. However, he did not write the history of his era (the Pantekontaetie 479 431 BC), but the period shortly before the Persian wars - Greece which has ended when he was in the age of the children.

In the first sentence Historiae he wrote the theme and plan of his work is as follows: The following is an explanation of the study (apodixis historical) Herodotus of Thurii: that all human actions are not forgotten by the time keep running, and important deeds and menakjupkan performed by the Greeks on the one hand, and by people the bars on the other hand does not tersembunyikan / forgotten, in addition to explaining why they fight each other ". The statement was aimed at events around the 6th century, when the conflict / war between the king of Lydia in Greece named Croesus with the Persian king Cyrus the Great. The war was described as a war between the East (Persia) to the West of Greece (Europe).

However, the real war between the Persians to the Greeks described the new lot in the last four books of nine books, starting from the great Persian expedition against the Greeks under Darius and Xerxes, and ended with victories in Greece and Mycale in Plataeae 479 BC. By Western historians Herodotus's work was also given the title as the Persian War (Persian War). In the first five books in the outline contains a description of the war against Greece which ended with the death of the Persian king Cyrus the Great in 529 BC (first book). He was succeeded by his son Cambyses, who conducted a war expedition against Egypt (book 2). The third book describes the history and culture / traditions of Egypt. Ekspasi Persians under Cambyses and successor of Darius the Great to Skytika (Scythen). While in the fifth book contains descriptions emergence Peris policy in the Balkans, which continued with the history of Sparta and Athens.

In Western historiography, Herodotus recognized as the father of history or historiography because of his work it is well known that mengkisahkan Historiae of War Parsi (Persian War). Compared with previous works by the logograaf which is usually a myth, epic, or fairy tales that usually is associated with fairy tales, then what do Herodotus in his work can be regarded as the beginning or the pioneering of scientific historiography. It mainly can be known of how or techniques in collecting source-boast literary material obtained through interviews (interviews) of people who have or are involved in the Persian war. Thus it is based on interviews he has tried to gain understanding or understandings of an event based on the facts. That's the main feature of the work of Herodotus in the field hsistoriografi, which has implemented the methods of collecting data through interviews (although there are those who have indicated that he really has not detached completely from the tradition of previous writing that further highlight the stories of heroism (in the war Parsi). Hence, until his time Herodotus people are still difficult to separate the types of literary and historical works. What is meant here is that a work of history is still usually written in the form of a very interesting story as well as literary works, also still exist logograafnya cirri, but it works like it a lot about history. In this case it can be said that Herodotus is a transitional figure in the field of history, because the contents are mixed with epic essay and the essay still has a characteristic shape logografi is also a work of history that discuss the history of mankind.

Herodotus's work also has a comprehensive feature or the history of culture (cultural anthropology), because in the book he also describes the life of the Greeks, Egyptians, Peres and others such as trade, carpentry, agriculture, traditions, customs and other etc., covering various aspects of community life. Therefore he is not only regarded as the father of history, but also as the father of anthropology (culture).

Works of Herodotus about Persia War is also considered as a result of Ethnographic studies, because in it are also described on the group from other ethnic groups living around Greece. Because of its attention on the ethnography and anthropology, the work Herodutus also termed as "Nouvele historie."


2. Thucydides (455-400 bc)
Herodotus was not the only one of the famous Greek historian in his time, because Thucydides is more prominent in terms of research methods and results / quality of his work. With the emergence of Greek historiography, historians of this center moved from coastal areas of Asia Minor to the islands of Greece in Athens, which later evolved into a political and cultural center, and the birthplace of important historians. There step that Thucydides was born around the year 460 BC from aristocratic and wealthy families. He is the owner of gold mines in Tracia and very influential and wealthy. In his youth Thucydides was still experiencing ground golden age of Greece, especially the cultural history of Athens. However he was not contemporaneous with Pantekontaetie, but by political events Peloponesia military in the war, namely the war between Sparta and Athens (431-404 BC). War was exactly what the subject of his work is famous, namely Poloponesia War (War Peloponesia).

Advantages compared with Herodotus Thucydides is in his work he has started to develop the study of archeology (archeology), namely the history of ancient Greece long before the life of Thucydides. In this he was doing his own research, criticism of the manuscripts of the ancient poets, and archaeological data were also taken through a comparison with other populations outside of Greece. Only then did he move to mengkisahkan about the beginning and the beginning of civil war in Greece.

In 8 of the war, Thucydides led a naval unit in charge of maintaining the beach Tracia. However, he could banish the generals who called Brasidas Sparta entered Amphipolis. It brings the consequence of his exile for 20 years from the country / homeland. It lived in exile in Tracia anyway, and from there he still followed the events of war, and collects remarks on the time-trip to trip. That is the main ingredient of his work Peloponesia war. Thus his writings are no longer mixed with myth so that the facts obtained more accurate than the works of Herodotus. Besides the reason that she witnessed and experienced the events he wrote himself, then his work is also referred to as contemporary history (the history of his own era).

In his writings he also described the military way, the events of the war in the summer he had witnessed, and periods of rest during the winter. All events are narrated with penaggalan shown that giving information when it happened. Only the calendar that he created is still relative, and different from the calendar then the Romans or the first Christians, the calculation is more absolute.

Besides Thucydides also conducts research on the behavior / attitude of the politicians and military people in times of crisis. It was a study conducted by a review of psychological, namely a review of human behavior in wartime. By emphasizing the political aspects and the military, Thucydides has been trying to obtain the facts of history in a more critical to stay away from all things that myth. With such a method that the facts obtained more accurate than the works of Herodotus. That is actually more right he is seen as a pioneering director or the writing of critical history. Especially on the political aspects highlighted in his writings which include approximately 60% of the story Peloponesia War, it became the beginning of a long tradition that runs continuously until now in the writing of political history. He thought that war and political decisions will determine the next course of history.

 After completion of the civil war (civil), the exile Thucydidespun ends, but can not be ascertained whether he or she returned to Athens where he died about the year 411 BC. At the time of his death his work was continued until the year 411 BC.

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