Are the Greeks Perfect?
When other countries were discussed, mainly their technological advances, Herodotus clearly displayed his belief that Greece was the ultimate standard of perfection. Having been born in Halicarnassus of Asia Minor, a Greek settlement, Herodotus inherited the natural patriotism for his home country. His way of exalting Greece was by describing other countries as very much inferior to Greece. The readers must understand that the reason Herodotus is recording history and not some Persian historian is because the Greeks defeated the Persians in the Persian War. Also, the readers must acknowledge that the speeches contained in Herodotus's account of the Persian War have all been written by Herodotus himself. So, many times the speeches would be written to express what Herodotus would have said. Another result of Herodotus having made up the speeches is that they would exalt Greece.
In Herodotus's accounts of the Persian War, he displayed his belief......
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Approximate Word Count: 1743
Approximate Pages: 7 (260 words per double-spaced page) |