Greek Historians

The Greeks redefined "history" as a literary genre in the fifth century BCE. The first Greek historians owed much to Homer and adopted his vivid and direct style in narrating historical events. Yet, despite the influence of Homer, the birth of history was basically a reaction against mythical accounts of the past. Homer wrote about war and travel in foreign lands, in the distant and mythical past. In contrast, the Greek historians of the fifth century wrote about contemporary or very recent events. The Greek Historians follows the development of history from Herodotus, via Thucydides, Xenophon and Polybius, until the Hellenistic age. It introduces the writers and their topics and also outlines their attitudes to historiography and their criticisms of each other. Written in an accessible and captivating manner, with suggestions for further reading, this book serves as a lucid introduction to Greek historians and historiography. more...