William]. Dominik EDITOR

~ Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers1 Inc.

Mundelein, Illinois USA

Editor: Laurie Haight Keenan

Contributing Editors: Georgia Irby-Massie, M. Scott VanHorn

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Cover fllustration: A young Pompeian woman in a meditative pose, holding a stilus in her right hand and tabellae in her leftj from a Pompeian fresco in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples.

Words & Ideas

© 2002 Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, Inc. Reprint with corrections 2006, 2008, and 2012. Reprint 2009. All rights reserved.

Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, luc. 1570 Baskin Road Mundelein, Illinois 60060 www.bolchazy.com

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ISBN 978-0-86516-485-7

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Words & Ideas / edited by William]. Dominik. p.cm.

Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-86516-485-l (pbk.)

l. Language and languages--etymology. 2. English language--Etymology. 3. Civilization, Classical. I. Title: Words and Ideas. II. Dominik, William].

P32l .W67 2002 422--dc21

2002074479

CONTENTS xi

The Monists ........................................ 197 Parmenides ..................................... 197

The Pluralists (Fifth Century BeE) ......................... 197 Empedocles ..................................... 197 Anaxagoras ..................................... 197

The Atomists ....................................... 197 Democritus ..................................... 197

Word Study .................................. 198 Socrates .............................................. 198 The Sophists ........................................... 200 Plato ................................................ 200

Plato's Forms ....................................... 202 Word Study ..................................... 203

Aristotle ............................................. 203 For Consideration .................................... 203

The Epicureans ......................................... 204 The Stoics ............................................ 204 The Cynics ............................................ 204

Word Study ........................................ 205 Arete . .................................................. 205

Word Study ........................................ 206 Psyche .................................................. 206

For Consideration .................................... 206 Homer and the Early Greeks on Psyche .......................... 206

For Consideration .................................... 207 Plato on Psyche ......................................... 208 Aristotle on Psyche ....................................... 210 Psyche in Mythologx ..................................... 211

Word Study ........................................ 211 Myths .................................................. 212

Oedipus .............................................. 212 Electra ............................................... 212 Narcissus ............................................. 213

Word Study ........................................ 213 Freudian Psychology ......................................... 213

Word Study ........................................... 214 Bibliography and Further Reading ................................ 219 Web Sites: Names and URLs ................................... 220 Exercises ................................................ 221

CHAPTER9 HISTORY .................................................. 227 (A. Gosling and W J. Dominik)

What is History? ........................................... 227 For Consideration ....................................... 227 Word Study ........................................... 227

xii WoRDS AND IDEAS

Methodology and Tools ofHistory .. . ... .. ....... .. ... ... .. .. .. ... 229 For Consideration ....................................... 229 Word Study ................. . ......................... 230

Recording Time ................................ . ... ... ..... 231 For Consideration ....................................... 231 Word Study ................................ ... ........ 232

Greek and Roman Historians ...... . ................. ... ........ 233 Approach and Methodology .... ............... . .. .. ......... 233

Word Study ........................................ 234 The Major Historians ... ... ........... . .. . ... ... ... . ..... . 234

Herodotus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234 Thucydides ........................................ 235 Xenophon ........ .. .... . ......... . .. .... . ... ...... 235 Polybius ........ . ..... .. ................. ... ....... 236 Flavius Josephus ..................................... 236 Caesar .......... .... ................... .. ......... 237 Sallust ......... ... .................. . .. .... ....... 237 Livy ......... ...... ................... .. . ... ..... 237 Tacitus .... ........ . .. ............... . . .. . . ....... 238

Source Passages ............................................ 238 For Consideration ........ ..... . ..... ... ....... .... . .. 238

Herodotus, Histories preface 1.5.3 ........ ....... . . .... . ...... . 239 Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War 1.21-22 ...................... 239 Polybius,Histories 3.31.2-4, 7-8,11-13 ......................... 240 Livy, From the Foundation of the City preface 6-7,9-10 ... .. .. .. ....... 241 Tacitus, Annals 1.1 ....... .. ............... . ....... . ...... 241 The Story of Coriolanus and Veturia

(Livy, From the Foundation of the City 2.40.1-11) . .......... ...... 242 For Consideration .................................... 244

Key Words for History .................... ... ..... . ........... 244 Bibliography and Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . .................... 246 Web Sites: Names and URLs . . .. . ...... . .............. . .. ...... 246 Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 7

APPENDIX I GREEK AND LATIN ALPHABETS . . . ................. ..... ........ 251 (W. J. Dominik, J. L. Hilton, and A. P. Bevis)

Diphthongs ............................................... 252

APPENDIX2 WRITING OF GREEK WORDS IN ENGLISH .... ... ...... . .. .......... 253 (W. J. Dominik, J. L. Hilton, and A. P. Bevis)

Rough and Smooth Breathings . . ... ..... .. ... .. .. ... . .. ..... .. .. 254

227

CHAPTER9

HISTORY A. GoslitJg and W.]. Dominik

WHAT Is HisToRY?

~ he Greeks and Romans were the first to record historical events in written form. J There is a wide range of historical subjects and methodologies among the Greek

and Roman historians. Their writings are concerned with public and private issues such as war and peace, wealth and poverty, and human nature and morality. These historians were not just interested in recording what happened but in explaining the reasons why something happened.

Although the Greek and Roman historians examined issues of divine and human causa­tion and the relationship between gods and humans, they made an attempt to distinguish history from myth. Therefore historians today owe both the idea of history and the practice of historical writing to the ancient historians. The detailed study of ancient historiography and how we derive historical information from ancient texts and other evidence remains cen­tral to the approach taken by modern historians.

For Consideration

• What do we know about our own family backgrounds? How do we know this? • How long has your family been living in the same place? • If they were immigrants, when did the members of your family come to your

country? • Who founded the community where you live? • What important buildings, statues, and other monuments are there in your com­

munity? What do they record?

Word Study

• What does the word history suggest to you? Express your thoughts briefly. • Look up the word history in a dictionary that provides etymologies of the Eng­

lish words. What is the Greek word from which history is ultimately derived via Latin? This word means "learned," "expert," "knowledgeable," as, for example, a judge who is well versed in the law. The word history has the connotation of "finding out by investigation," or" inquiry."

~28 WORDS AND IDEAS

Word for Word

• Note at least three different meanings of the word history in the dictionary. Note related words given in your dictionary such as historian, historiographer, his­toric, and historical.

• What are the meanings of the following Latin words? (For each of these Latin words think of an English derivative, then look this word up in an English dic­tionary that gives the derivations.)

Latin Words

quaerere, quaesitum (verb)

in-+ quaerere, quaesitum (verb)

vestigium (noun)

English Derivative Meaning of Latin

• Determine the meaning of the following Latin verbs. (For help refer to the use of the Latin word in English. If necessary, look up the loan words in an English dictionary that provides etymologies.)

Latin Words Meaning of Use of Latin Word Latin Verb.

agere, actum An agenda (plural) is a list of"things (plural of perfect that must be done." Acta ("things passive participle done") senatus were the daily records actum is acta) of senatorial business at Rome, which

were published andcould be consulted by historians. The Romans also recorded achievements as res gestae, whichliterally means "things performed."

curare, curatum A curator is a guardian, keeper, manager, or an overseer.

dare, datum data (plural) means "things given." (plural of perfect passive participle datum is data)

CHAPTER 9: HISTORY

METHODOLOGY AND TOOLS OF HISTORY

For Consideration

• In what ways is history recorded and passed on? • Are these ways the same in all cultures? • How did the ancient Egyptians, Jews, and Babylonians record and pass on their

history? How about Indians? How about Africans?

History is the framing of questions by a particular human being in a particular space-time context; he asks questions, and he adduces evi­dence to support his answers, and in both of these acts he makes use of hypothesis before ever he "finds" a fact.

(A.Toynbeel972:486)

• If a historian is an expert in the same way as a judge is expert in legal matters, what does this suggest about how a historian works?

• Should a historian always be objective? Can a historian always be objective? • What is afact? • How useful and how reliable are the following primary sources to the modern

historian of the ancient world?

The primary sources available for the study of the ancient Greek and Ro­man worlds include texts written by ancient authors such as historians, playwrights, poets, novelists, philosophers, medical and scientific writ­ers, astronomers, geographers, and orators; other written documents such as commercial and legal documents (for example, contracts and wills) and private letters; epigraphical evidence, that is, inscriptions of laws, edicts, decrees, palace records, temple records, state records, and epitaphs; and other archaeological evidence and material remains, in­cluding the physical remains of cities and settlements, buildings (for example, temples, amphitheaters, and tombs\ monuments, pottery, sculpture, wall paintings, mosaics, armor, weapons, jewelry, and other personal property.

• What are some of the problems with these primary sources? What affects the reli­ability of source material?

• What secondary sources are available? • If you wanted to write a history of the town where you live, what sources would

you use? • What does the following epitaph, which was found at Rome and dates from the

second century BCE, reveal?

229

230

Stranger, I don't have much to say; stop and read. This is the lovely tomb of a beautiful woman. Her parents named her Claudia. She adored her husband with all her heart. She gave birth to two sons; one of these She leaves on earth; the other she has buried. She was charming in speech, yet elegant in her bearing. She minded the house; she spun wool. I've spoken. Move on.

WORDS AND IDEAS

(Corpus Inscription urn Latin arum 1.2.1211)

Word Study

• For each of the following Greek and Latin words, think of at least one English derivative.

Greek/Lat:in Words .Mealting Derlvative ·.·

autos (Greek pronoun) self

bios (Greek noun) life

colj cordis (Latin noun) heart

graphein (Greek verb) to write

memolj memoris mindful of (Latin adjective)

monere, monitum to warn, advise, remind (Latin verb)

monumentum something that preserves (Latin noun) the memory of a thing; a

memorial

narrare, narratum to tell, relate (Latin verb)

obicere, obiectum to throw against, oppose; (Latin verb) expose

scribere, scriptum to write (Latin verb)

semeion (Greek noun) mark, sign

tradere, traditum to hand over (Latin verb)

CHAPTER 9: HISTORY 231

RECORDING TIME

~ ncient calendars and timekeeping were usually based on natural cycles, like day ~ and night, the movements of the sun, moon, and stars, the cycle of the seasons. Prehistoric stone circles of Europe such as Stonehenge and Ave bury were probably astro­nomical observatories for accurately marking the seasons.

The Egyptians were the first to use a solar calendar of 365 days, in contrast to most other ancient civilizations, including the Babylonians, Greeks, and Chinese who used a lunar cal­endar based on a lunar month of twenty-nine or thirty days. The Hebrew calendar is dated from the beginning of Creation, calculated to be 3 760 BCEj the Islamic calendar is dated from Mohammed's flight from Mecca to Medina (July 16,622 CE in the Gregorian calendar).

Because the lunar year is too short, lunar calendars do not keep pace accurately with the seasons, unless corrected from time to time by the insertion of intercalary days or months (compare the intercalary day in February of each leap year in the Gregorian calendar).

The Roman year, which began in March (the month of Mars, god of war, when the cam­paigning season began), originally consisted of ten monthsj the names of the months Sep­tember, October, November, and December are derived from the Latin numerals septem ("seven"), octo ("eight"), novem ("nine"), and decem ("ten"). Later two additional months were included and the beginning of the year was moved to January (named after Janus, the god ofbeginnings and endings).

The month ofJuly is named after Julius Cae­sar (100-44 BeE) and August after his succes­sor Augustus, who were both interested in the calendar. Julius Caesar engaged the services of an Alexandrian astronomer for his calendar reforms, which is why the Julian calendar (and subsequently, the Gregorian calendar) used an adaptation of the Egyptian solar calendar in­stead of the lunar calendar used in early Rome.

While the seven-day week is derived from the Babylonians, the division of the day and the night into twelve hours originates in Egypt, where the first shadow-clock (a primi­tive sundial, circa 1500 BCE) and water-clocks were devised. A water clock (Greek klepsydra) consisted of a stone bowl out of which water flowed at a consistent rate into another bowl. Rings on the interior marked the minutes.

For Consideration

A water clock (klepsydra)

• In modern western thinking time is something measurable and linear. Is this so in all cultures? (Mythologies, for example, tend not to be chronological.) Con­trast the idea of chronological time with concepts like eternity and timelessness.

232 WORDS AND IDEAS

Word for Word

Chronos referred to measurable time, but the ancient Greeks also had another word for time, kairos, which was the "right time," the moment of opportunity and fulfillment.

• Can you think of an English word for kairos? A Spanish word or phrase?

Word Study

~ ive at least one derivative for each of the Latin and Greek words and abbreviations ~ below, where indicated.

Word/Abbreviation··· Meaning Derivative

AD (anno dominij compare CE) in the year of our Lord

aevum (Latin noun) age

antiquus (Latin adjective) ancient

BC (compare BeE) (before Christ)

chronos (Greek noun) time

finis (Latin noun) end

prim us (Latin adjective) first

primitivus (Latin adjective) first of its kind

protos (Greek adjective) first

tempus, temporis (Latin noun) time

• What do these terms mean: diachronic, synchronic, anachronism? • What is meant by a cyclic view ofhistory (compare Greek kuklos, "ring," "circle")?

CHAPTER 9: HISTORY 233

GREEK AND ROMAN HISTORIANS

Approach and Methodology

~he Greeks and Romans did not distinguish, as we do, between myth, legend and J history. In a sense the epic poems of Homer, for example, were regarded by the

Greeks as part of their history. The first writer of history in our modern sense, however, was Herodotus, who is often referred to as "the father of history." Before Herodotus, writers of history had concerned themselves mainly with genealogies, geographical accounts, and local history.

Most ancient historians are conscious of history as a means of instruction, with a strong moral content. They regard the events and people they write about as providing examples, both good and bad, for others to follow, particularly in the political and military spheres.

Today we probably think of historians as doing most of their work in libraries, archives, and museums of archaeology, but many of the ancient Greeks and some Romans believed strongly that a man could not write history if he did not have personal experience of the things he wrote about such as politics and war.

Besides being instructive, history was expected to be entertaining for the reader and an­cient historians felt free to embellish their material with descriptive passages and with rhe­torical speeches. These speeches are meant to represent what might have been said on an occasion rather than to serve as a record of the actual words spokenj they are an opportunity for the writer to display his rhetorical skills and style.

The Romans took over the tradition ofhistoriography from the Greeks (in fact, the earliest Roman writers of history wrote in Greek, not Latin). The first Roman historian to write in Latin was the senator, soldier, and landowner Cato (234-148 BCEj Origines). His successors mostly wrote Annals: the structure of their histories recounted events year by year rather than thematically. For example, Livy begins each year with the names of the consuls and other new magistrates, then proceeds to an account of political events at Rome and her wars abroad, and then notes any other occurrences of significance during the year, including re­ligious portents. Therefore he does not always recount a war or a political struggle as a con­tinuous episode, but may tell parts of it in the accounts of each year.

234 WORDS AND IDEAS

Word Study

• Give at least one derivative of the following Greek and Latin words .

. Greek/Lat~n Word Meaning Derivatives

annalis (Latin annual, yearly adjective)

an nus (Latin noun) year

arc he (Greek noun) beginning, governing power

archei on (Greek the place where the archons noun) (magistrates) had their offices and

kept their records

chronos (Greek time noun)

histor (Greeknoun/ adjective: "knowing," "well-versed adjective) in"; noun: "learned person, "

" expert"

historia (Greek and account, story, history Latin noun)

The Major Historians

Herodotus

) i erodotus (Greek Herodotosi born circa .;---J 484 BeE) was born at Halicarnassus (modern Bodrum). This was one of many Greek cit­ies in Asia Minor that had been under Persian rule but were liberated by the Greek victory of Xerxes in 480 BCE. He spent much of his life travelling and on his travels collected material for his History. The main topic ofthisworkis the Persian Wars (490-470 BCE), when the attempts of the Persian kings Darius and later Xerxes to invade and conquer mainland Greece were defeated at the battles ofMarathon ( 490 BeE) and Salamis (480 BCE). Herodotus, however, also traces the legendary past of both the Persian and Greek nations and gives much geographical and antiquarian information about the countries he vis­ited, which included mainland Greece and the Greek islands, Asia Minor and Mesopotamia, Scythia and Herodotus and Thucydides

CHAPTER 9: HISTORY 235

Thrace, Syria and Palestine, southern Italy, and Egypt. For a few years he lived in Athens and was therefore part of the beginnings of the great intellectual movement there in the fifth century.

Herodotus set great store by personal inquiry and investigation in composing his Histories. Although he was sometimes credulous and uncritical in accepting what local informants told him, his standards of accuracy were generally high.

Thucydides

c--r hucydides (Greek Thoukudides; born circa 464 BeE) was an Athenian citizen. As a J naval commander he had firsthand experience of war, but he was forced to live in

exile for some years after a military failure. The subject of his work is the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta and their

respective allies (431-404 BCE) which he lived through; therefore he had first hand knowl­edge of at least some of the events and could talk to people who had taken part in others. This work, however, is unfinished, as Book 8 breaks off in the middle of his account of the events of411 BCE.

He is respected for his insight into cause and effect and his accuracy on chronology and points of detail, but he is not free from bias. Like other ancient historians, he embellished his work with speeches that purport to give the gist of what was said on particular occasions, but which are rhetorical set pieces used for effect.

Xenophon

~ enophon (circa 430-circa 356 BCE) who was born at Athens, was a general and a ~ writer; he was also a friend and pupil of Socrates. In 401 BCE he joined an army

of mercenaries raised by Cyrus, a Persian prince who was trying to take the throne from his brother. Cyrus' army was defeated and the Greek commanders were murdered; Xeno­phon, although a junior officer, led the surviving Greek army back through hostile territo­ry to Greek shores. (An account of this is given in his Anabasis). With his soldiers he then joined the Spartans as a mercenary. Either because of his Spartan sympathies or because of his friendship with Socrates, he lost his Athenian citizenship for a while. His works include political and military studies, works about the life and teachings of Socrates, and a history of Greece from 411-362 BCE entitled Hellenikai this picks up where Thucydides' History breaks off and covers the end of the Peloponnesian War and its aftermath.

236

Polybius

Cf:) olybius (circa 200-118 BeE) was a wealthy r-- Greek aristocrat and politician. For politi­

cal reasons he was banished from Greece and went to live in Rome, where he made friends with some of the most influential people of the time, in particular the Roman aristocrat and general Scipio Aemilianus, a man who was also a patron of literature and philoso­phy. With Scipio, Polybius traveled to Africa and was present when Scipio defeated and sacked Carthage.

In his research he had access to first hand informa­tion from men who had served in the campaigns and to public records and private letters as well as to the work of earlier historians. Like many other historians, he believed that the study of history was important in the training of statesmen. Because he was a Greek, writing for a Greek audience, he included in his histo­ry an explanation of Roman methods of government,

WoRDS AND IDEAS

the Roman constitution, and the functioning of the Polybius Roman army.

His Histories cover the rise of Rome's power, from 264-146 BCE, the period when Rome began to expand into the Mediterranean and to come into conflict with her neigbours, nota­bly Carthage, against whom Rome fought three Punic wars, and Greece, including not only Macedonia and its leader Philip Vbut also Corinth, which was sacked in 146 BCE.

Flavius Josephus

e :::::::J laviusJosephus (born circa 37 ---, CE) was a Jew who was edu­

cated in the Rabbinical tradition and was sent to Rome as an ambassador. On his return to Judea he became one of the lead­ers of the revolt against Roman govern­ment and was a commander of the Jewish forces in Galilee. Josephus, however, was captured by the Romans. He was given a pardon and became a member of the en­tourage of Vespasian, the Roman general in command of the Jewish campaign, and his son Titus (he took their family name, Flavius). He wrote in Greek and his works include a History of the Jewish War and Jew­ish Antiquities (a history of the Jews from Adam up to his own days).

The triumphal celebration following the fall of Jerusalem

described by Josephus

CHAPTER 9: HISTORY

Caesar

~ aius Julius Caesar (100-44 BCE) was not only a ~ very successful general who was responsible for the conquest of Gaul but he was also a powerful Roman poli­tician. His political ambition led eventually to civil war in which he defeated the senatorial forces led by Pompey. He was made perpetual dictator (therefore in effect ending the Republican constitution of Rome), but was assassinated in 44 BCE by a Republican party led by Brutus and Cassius.

The Commentaries of Caesar are records ofhis campaigns in Gaul. Subsequently he also wrote a record of the Civil War.

Although he writes of himself in the third person, his works are essentially intended to glorify his achievements and make him acceptable to the Roman people.

Sallust

237

Julius Caesar

~ a ius Sallustius Crispus ( 86-34 BCE) was a Roman senator and supporter of Cae­~ sar who was expelled from the Senate and later tried for and acquitted of extor­tion in the province of Africa. He then retired from public life and devoted himself to writing a monograph on the Conspiracy of Catiline (an attempted revolution that took place in 63 BCE) and an account of the Jugurthine War (111-105 BCE; Jugurtha was a Numidian leader who was at first an ally of Rome but later her enemy). Both works show a thematic concern with the moral and political decline ofRome (compare Livy). They also show bias against the senatorial aristocracy. His narrative style, however, is dramatic and effective, with skillful depiction of character.

Sallust also wrote a longer work, the Histories, which deals with the period from 78-67 BCE, but unfortunately, only a few fragments of this work survive.

Livy

e--r itus Livius (59 BCE-17 CE), unlike most ancient historians, was not involved in J political or military life. He had lived through the civil wars that followed the

assassination of Julius Caesar and the struggle between Caesar's heir Octavian (later the emperor Augustus) and Mark Antony. Although Augustus claimed to have "restored the Republic," he in fact created a monarchy veiled in republican constitutional forms. Livy's sense of horror at the civil wars and his pessimism about Rome's moral and political decline (compare Sallust) are evident in the preface to his history, From the Foundation of the City

(Ab Urbe Condita), a history of Rome from her legendary beginnings in the eighth century BCE to his own times.

By the timeLivydied, he had written 142 books. The emphasis ofhis work was on the late Republican period and the Civil Wars. These later books, however, have not survived, and of the thirty-five books still extant, those most widely read are the accounts of the early history of Rome, the war against Hannibal (the Second Punic War, 218-201 BCE), and the spread of

238 WORDS AND IDEAS

Rome's power in the Mediterranean world in the second century BCE. Livy is traditional and conservative, with a great sense of pride in Rome's past. Although he praised Pompey (which implies some degree of support for the Republican cause), he was also a friend and admirer of Augustus and tutor to the future emperor Claudius.

Livy seldom shows evidence of original research and where accounts in his sources dif­fer, he will often summarize both accounts and note the differences without attempting to decide between them.

Tacitus

( ---; ornelius Tacitus (circa 56-circa 120 cE) was a senator and celebrated lawyer. His earliest works are a Dialogue on Oratorsj Agricola, a biography of his distin­

guished father-in-law, the great soldier and governor of Britain; and Germania, a monograph on the history and customs of the peoples of Germany (Roman attempts to conquer Ger­many had begun under Augustus, and during Tacitus' lifetime the provinces of Upper and Lower Germany became part of the Roman empire).

Tacitus' major historical works are the Histories, which cover the civil wars after the death of Nero and the reign of the Flavian emperors (68-96 cE), and the Annals, which cover the period of the early Empire, from the death of Augustus to the death ofNero. (Neither of these works survives in its entirety). Tacitus' early adult life coincided with the reign ofDomitian, who was tyrannical and autocratic and who severely restricted the powers of the Roman Sen­ate and freedom of intellectual and political activity. The bitterness of these memories colors the way in which the pro-Republican senator Tacitus depicts the reigns of previous emperors. Nevertheless, he took great care over the accuracy of his facts. Besides consulting the works of earlier writers, he used the state archives (the Acta Senatus, the record of the proceedings of the Senate) as source material.

SOURCE PASSAGES

1.3 elow are five extracts from Herodotus, Thucydides, Polybius, Livy, and Tad-.,_.., ___ ., tus. All of these source passages are from the prefaces with which these an-

cient historians began their works. These extracts afford an idea of the aims and methods of each writer.

For Consideration

a s you read each of the historical passages below, consider the following questions:

• Does the historian choose contemporary events of which he has personal knowl­edge, or does he have access to others with personal knowledge? Events in the recent past? Events in the more distant past?

• Does he give reasons for his choice? • What does he say about how he researched his material? Personal inquiry?

Books? Public records? Personal interviews?

CHAPTER 9: HISTORY

• Does he distinguish between myth and history? • Does he emphasize the importance in his work of any of the following?

didactic function (that is, teaching by example)? moral example? the character of individual leaders? literary style? objectivity? accuracy?

• Does he display any bias?

Herodotus, Histories preface, 1.5.3

This is a record of the research ofHerodotus ofHalicarnassus. Its aim is to ensure that ... great and marvelous achievements-some by Greeks and some by non-Greeks-do not go uncelebrated ...

These, then, are the stories Persians and Phoenicians tell. I am not going to state that these events happened in one way or another. In­stead I shall speak of the man I personally know was the first to commit wrongs against the Greeks.

Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War 1.21-22

Judging from the evidence that I have presented, one would not be mis­taken if one believed that things in the distant past were very much as I have described them. Adopting this view is preferable to trusting what poets have said about this period1 since they embellish their subjects to make them more impressive. It is also preferable to the stories prose­writers have strung together with the aim of making their work more at­tractive to an audience rather than more accurate. The things they write about are impossible of proof and the majority of them have, through the passage of time, become so incredible as to have achieved the status of myths and fables. Rather than believing these versions1 one should take the view that my account represents a sufficiently accurate investigation of these matters1 considering that they belong to the distant past. ..

Various individuals made speeches when they were preparing to go to war or were already at war. It has proven difficult to recall precisely what was said, both for me, in the case of the speeches I heard mysel£ and for those who reported to me from other places. Therefore I have presented in the speeches what I believed each person was most likely to have said, given the demands of each occasion1 while at the same time remaining as close as possible to the overall meaning of what was actually said. But as to the facts of what happened in the war1 I have made it my policy not to write my account on the basis of the first evi­dence that happened to appear or of what seemed most probable to me.

239

240 WORDS AND IDEAS

Instead I have investigated as carefully as possible every detail both of those events at which I was present in person and of those I have heard about from others. The research was difficult nonetheless, as those who were present on each occasion did not give identical accounts of the same events but were influenced by their favor for one side or the other or by their own memories.

The absence of a mythological or fabulous element will perhaps make my work seem less enjoyable to an audience, but I shall be satis­fied if it is considered useful by those who wish to understand clearly the events that occurred in the past and those that-given the nature of human history-will one day occur again in the same or a similar way. My work has been composed not as a fine piece of writing for an imme­diate audience but rather as a thing of value for all time.

Polybius, Histories 3.31.2-4, 7-8, 11-13

If there were anyone who believed that he was capable on his own of facing any possible situation, I should perhaps say that a knowledge of the events of the past was good but not essential. But if there is no one, or at least no human, who would be so bold as to say this about his own personal affairs or those of his community-since, even if all is well at present, no intelligent person will feel certain about the future on the basis of present circumstances-then I say that a thorough knowledge of the past is not merely good but absolutely essential. ..

In the immediate present all people continually adapt themselves and suit what they say and do to the circumstances, so that it is difficult to determine each person's policy and the truth is often very obscure. But past actions, because they can be examined in the light of actual facts, offer a true reflection of each person's principles and beliefs, and make it clear from whom we may expect favor, generosity, and assis­tance and from whom the opposite ... Therefore both writers and read­ers of history should not pay the same attention to a mere narrative of events as to the question of what preceded, what accompanied, and what followed each of these events. For, if one removes from history the consideration of why, how, and for whose sake a deed was done and whether the outcome was a reasonable one, what remains will be a fine display of writing but will have no educational value. It will give imme­diate enjoyment, but will be of no use for the future whatsoever.

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Livy, From the Foundation of the City preface 6-7, 9-10

The accounts that are handed down of events before the city of Rome was founded or its foundation planned derive their attraction more from the narratives of poets than from unquestionable records of his­torical events. I do not intend either to support these accounts or to refute them. The distant past may be forgiven when it makes the early beginnings of cities more impressive by mingling human elements with divine ones ...

In my opinion, each person should consider closely the following points: how people lived, what their values were, and through which individuals and what skills (both at home and at war) Rome's power was established and increased. Next, one should follow in one's mind the story of how, as discipline gradually began to decline, there was an initial weakening of traditional values. One should observe how from that point they declined more and more and then began to collapse en­tirely until these times arrived, in which we are able to endure neither our own faults nor the measures needed to cure them.

What is especially beneficial and profitable in the study of history is this-that you observe examples of every sort as if they were set down on a great monument. From these you may select for yourself and your country things to imitate and other things, bad in their origins and bad in their results, to avoid.

Tacitus, Annals 1.1

The early fortunes of the Roman nation, both good and bad, have been recorded by distinguished writers, and the period of Augustus did not lack suitable talents to tell its story, until they were discouraged by the growth of flattery. Accounts of events under Tiberius, Gaius, Claudius, and Nero were falsified during their periods of dominance because of fear, and after they fell were influenced by the hatred that remained from recent times. This is why I have decided to relate only a few events under Augustus (and only from the very end of his reign), and then to describe the rule ofTiberius and everything else, without anger or par­tiality, the moti~es for which I simply do not have.

241

The following source passage which relates a famous story of early Rome (490 BeE) illus­trates aspects ofLivy's style in From the Foundation of the City.

242 WORDS AND IDEAS

The Story of Coriolanus and Veturia (Livy, From the Foundation of the City 2.40.1-11)

c--r he story that Livy recounts features Coriolanus, who was a very successful Roman J general, and his mother Veturia. He was regarded as a hero by the Romans until

his political ambitions became suspect and he was accused of treason. He fled from Rome to a hostile tribe, the Volsci, and led them in war against the Romans. When the Volscian suc­cesses threatened the safety of the city of Rome itself, ambassadors and priests were sent to plead with Coriolanus, but neither of these delegations met with any success.

Then the married women went in large numbers to Veturia, Coriola­nus' mother, and Volumnia, his wife. I am unable to determine clearly whether this was motivated by public policy or by the women's own fear. What is certain is that they succeeded in persuading both Veturia, who was quite old, and Volumnia to take Marcius' two young sons and go to the enemy camp. Since the men could not defend the city by force of arms, the women would defend it by tears and pleas.

They came to the camp and Coriolanus was informed that a large force of women had arrived. As one might expect of a man who had not been moved by ambassadors representing the majesty of the state or by priests who had set the power of religion before his eyes and heart, he was all the more stubborn in the face of women's tears. Then, one of his friends recognized Veturia, whose sadness marked her out from the others as she stood between her daughter-in-law and her grandchil­dren. "Unless my eyes are deceiving me," he said, "your mother, your wife, and your children are here."

Coriolanus sprang from his seat almost as ifhe were mad and went to meet his mother, but as he came to embrace her she turned from pleas to anger and said, "Before I accept your embrace, let me know whether I have come to my enemy or to my son and whether I am in your camp as your prisoner or as your mother. Have my long life and miserable old age brought me to this-that I should see you first an exile and then an enemy? Were you capable of destroying the land that bore and nur­tured you? Though you had come with a heart full of rage and threats, did your anger not lessen as you crossed the border? When Rome was in sight, did this thought not cross your mind: "Within those walls are my home and the gods of my family. There too are my mother, my wife, and my children"? Ifi had never given birth, Rome would not be under attack. If I had no son, I should have died a free woman in a free coun­try. But now, I could not suffer anything more painful to me or more disgraceful to you and, though I am extremely sad, I shall not be so for long. Think instead of these others who, if you go on, can expect death at an early age or a long period of slavery."

CHAPTER 9: HISTORY

Then his wife and his children put their arms around him and the whole crowd of women began to weep and raise laments for themselves and their country. At last they broke the man. He embraced his family and told them to go. Then he moved his camp back from the city. It is said that, after his armies had been marched out of Roman territory, he died under the weight of resentment at what he had done, though ac­counts of his actual death differ. In the work of Fabius, by far the most ancient of our sources, I find it said that he lived to reach old age. Fabius certainly says that toward the end of his life he often used to repeat the saying that exile is far more miserable when one is old.

• How does Livy present the character ofVeturia? What qualities and actions does Veturia show in this account that would make her an admirable example in Livy's eyes?

• Why do you think Veturia and the other women succeeded in persuading Corio­lanus not to attack Rome when priests and diplomats had failed?

• What preconceptions about gender and attitudes to women are evident in this story?

• How does Livy present the character of Coriolanus? Do you think Coriolanus, as portrayed by Livy, is intended to be a good example or a warning (or both)?

• How does Livy present the story in such a way as to make his readers sympathize with any particular character or viewpoint?

• Judging by the way this story is told, what expectations do you think Romans of Livy's time and class had about how a leader should behave?

• In his preface Livy observes that "in history you have a record of the infinite va­riety of human experience plainly set out for all to see; and in that record you can find for yourself and your country both examples and warnings." What is one such example in this extract?

• Livy says in his preface that he will" find antiquity a rewarding study" because he will be able to forget the problems ofhis modern world. What is there in the story of Coriolanus and Veturia, as he narrates it, that might have a positive message for Roman society in Livy's day?

• The speech Livy attributes to Veturia is not a historical record of her own words on the occasion, but a composition by Livy himself. How does this fact affect our judgment ofLivy as an historian? What do you think Livy's intention was in including speeches like this in his history?

• Considering what Livy says about the last years of Coriolanus and about Fabius, what do you think of his historical method and use of source material? Do you find his historical method in this extract satisfactory? How does it compare with modern historical methods?

243

!.44 WORDS AND IDEAS

For Consideration

• What do these ancient historians have in common with each other and in what ways are they similar to and different from modern historians?

• Does bias exist only in the writer or also in the listener or reader? • Are some of the words listed in this chapter value laden? Do they have negative or

positive associations?

KEY WORDS FOR HISTORY

Greek/Latin Origin Meaning English Derivative Words

aevum Latin age primeval noun

agere1 actum Latin to do, conduct agenda ("things that must be verb done")

annalis Latin year annals1 annalist adjective

ann us Latin year annual noun

antiquus Latin old, ancient antiquarian adjective

arche Greek beginning archaeology; archive noun governing power (singular); archives (plural).

archei on Greek the place French arch if (singular)

noun where archons (magistrates) had their offices and kept their records

autos Greek self autobiography pronoun

bios Greek life biography noun

chronos Greek time chronicles; chronology; noun anachronism1 from Greek

ana- ("up") + chronos ("time") + Greek -ismos ("condition/' "characteristic")

co1; cordis Latin heart record noun

curare1 Latin to care for curate curatum verb

CHAPTER 9: HISTORY 245

ad-+ curare, Latin to take care of accuracy curatum verb

dare, datum Latin to give data ("things given") verb

facere, factum Latin to make, do faction, factual verb

finis Latin end finish noun

graphein Greek to write historiography verb

histor Greek knowing, versed historian, prehistory, history, adjective in protohistory

Greek expert noun

historia Greek account, story, and Latin history noun

memolj Latin mindful of memory, remember, memoris adjective commemorate

monumentum Latin monument monument, from monere ("to noun advise," "to warn," "to remind")

nan·are, Latin to tell, relate narrate, narrative narratum verb

obicere, Latin to throw against, objective obiectum verb oppose; expose

prim us Latin first primeval, from Latin prim us adjective ("first")+ aevum ("age")

primitivus Latin first of its kind primitive. French primitif adjective

protos Greek early proto historic adjective

semeion Greek mark, sign semiotics noun

temporalis Latin transitory temporal adjective

tempus, Latin time temporis noun

tradere, Latin to hand over tradition traditum verb

?.46 WORDS AND IDEAS

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND FURTHER READING

Breisach, E., Historiography: Ancient, Medieval and Modern, 3'd Ed. (Chicago 2007). Collingwood, R., Theidea of History, 2"d Ed. (Oxford 1994). Croce, B. (tr. D. Ainslie), History: Its Theory and Practice (New York 1960). Gilderhus, M. T., History and Historians: A Historiographical Introduction, 7'h Ed. (Upper

Saddle River 2009). Grant, M., The Ancient Historians (New York 1970). Green, P., Classical Bearings: Interpreting Ancient History and Culture (London 1989). Morley, N., Writing Ancient History (Ithaca 1999). ---,Ancient History: Key Themes and Approaches (London 2000). Southgate, B. C., History: What and Why? Ancient, Modern and Postmodern Perspectives, 2"d

Ed. (London 2001). Speake, G., A Dictionary of Ancient History (Oxford 1994). Toynbee, A., A Study of History (London 1972).

WEB SITES: NAMES AND URLs

"Ancient History Timelines - Dynasties and Chronologies" http:/ /ancienthistory.about.com/od/timelines/Ancient_ History_ Timeline _ Dynasties_ and_ Chronologies.htm

"Ancient Rome" http:/ /www.historylink1 0 1.com/ ancient_ rome.htm

"Ancient Rome Republic, Empire, and Fall of Rome" http:/ /ancienthistory.about.com/od/romeancientrome/Ancient_ Rome_ Republic_ Empire_ Fall_ of_ Rome.htm

"Archaeology and Antiquity (Prehistory to 500 A.D.)" http:/ /www.scholiast.org/history/hi-aran.html

"Biographies oflmportant Ancient People - Famous People" http:/ /ancienthistory.about.com/od/people/Biographies _of_ Important_ Ancient_ Peope _Famous_ People.htm

"Eras- Major Events in the 3 Eras of Roman History" http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/romehistory/Ancient_ Rome_ Roman_ History_ Periods.htm

"Historians of Rome - Roman Historians" http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/romehistorians/Historians _of_ Rome_ Roman Historians.htm

"Historians - Resources on Historians of Ancient Greece" http:/ /ancienthistory.about.com/od/greekhistorians/Historians _Resources_ on_ historians of ancient Greece.htm

CHAPTER 9: HISTORY

"Historians and Philosophers: Classical Period (UntilSOO A.D.)" http:/ /www.scholiast.org/history/hp-clas.html

"Internet Ancient History Sourcebook" http:/ /www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/asbook.html

"An Overview of Classical Greek History from Mycenae to Alexander" http:/ /www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3Al999. 04.0009&query=toc

"Roman Empire- The Empire of Rome" http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/romeempire

"Roman Empire -Ancient Rome and Its Empire" http:/ /ancienthistory.about.com/od/romanempire/Roman _Empire_ Ancient_ Rome_ and_ Its_ Empire.htm

"The Roman Empire- Children's Section" http://www.roman-empire.net/children/index.html

EXERCISES

247

1. Give the base of each of the following words and the meaning of the base, then explain the meanings accordingly:

Example: annals Base: ann- [or annal-] Meaning of base: year [or yearly] Meaning of English word: historical record structured chronologically by years

a. investigation c. memorial b. objective d. record

2. (a) Give the meanings of the following Greek and Latin words.

Example: graphein Greek or Latin word: graphein Meaning: write

1. logos 2. dare, datum 3. arche 4. ann us

5. aevum 6. vestigium 7. prim us 8. curare, curatum

248 WORDS AND IDEAS

(b) Using bases either by themselves or in combination from the words listed in 2(a), form three English words relevant to the study of history. Give the meanings of the words you form.

Example: English word: historiography Meaning: The writing of history

English Wo~ds

Base 1

Base2

Base3

. >\ .·. . . ... Me~ning ··· ···

3. Complete the following sentences with appropriate English words formed by combining bases, prefixes, and/or words selected from the following list. 1. graphein 6. chronos 2. scribere 7. bios 3. ana- 8. finis 4. autos 9. datum S. histor 10. pre-

a. No written records exist from times. b. It would be to claim that the policies of a past

government were influenced by the policies of the present administration. c. An cannot be regarded as an entirely reliable

historical source because it is bound to be selective and influenced by personal interests.

4. There are two Greek words for time: chronos and kairos. What is the difference in meaning between them?

S. What types of primary sources are available to historians in the following categories?

Written Sources Archaeological Sources Other Sources

CHAPTER 9: HISTORY 249

6. Give the meaning of the Greek word histor and explain the significance of this meaning in terms of Herodotus' understanding of his purpose as an historian.

7. Based on what the ancient historians say in the extracts from their prefaces in this chapter, which of these writers is more concerned with accuracy and objectivity? Do you think any of these writers is likely to be as accurate and objective as a modern historian?