Rethinking Hellenistic Historiography
-
Lisa Irene Hau
About this book
Re-evaluates the fragments of Duris, Phylarchus and Agatharchides
- Applies the theory of immersion to ancient texts
- Places the ‘tragic’ historians in their cultural context
- Provides a new understanding of Hellenistic historiography, including Polybius
This book offers a new examination of the so-called tragic historiographers Duris and Phylarchus, as well as the 2nd century BCE historiographer Agatharchides, using Polybius as a foil throughout. Lisa Irene Hau investigates the fragments and discusses the characteristics of each historical work in terms of themes, style and historiographical method. The analysis shows that these three historiographers deliberately wrote a different type of history from Ephorus and Theopompus, aiming to engage the reader sensually and emotionally in the historical narrative. Hau suggests ‘immersive historiography’ as a more fitting term than ‘tragic history’, and argues that the purpose of this experiential engagement of the readers was didactic: to teach them what it had been like to live through events of the past. In the second half of the book, immersive historiography is placed in the context of ancient literary theory, Peripatetic philosophy and Hellenistic poetry and visual art. Applying the theory of immersion to ancient texts and placing these ‘tragic’ historians in their contemporary cultural context provides a new and innovative way of understanding of Hellenistic historiography.
Topics
-
Download PDFPublicly Available
Frontmatter
i -
Download PDFPublicly Available
Contents
v -
Download PDFPublicly Available
List of Figures
vi -
Download PDFPublicly Available
Acknowledgements
vii -
Download PDFPublicly Available
List of Abbreviations
ix -
Requires Authentication UnlicensedLicensed
Introduction
1 - Part I: The Fragments of Duris, Phylarchus and Agatharchides
-
Requires Authentication UnlicensedLicensed
1 Duris of Samos
21 -
Requires Authentication UnlicensedLicensed
2 Phylarchus
68 -
Requires Authentication UnlicensedLicensed
3 Agatharchides of Cnidus
111 -
Requires Authentication UnlicensedLicensed
Conclusion to Part I: The Immersive History of Duris, Phylarchus and Agatharchides
153 - Part II: Immersive History in Context
-
Requires Authentication UnlicensedLicensed
4 Immersive History: The View from Ancient Literary Criticism
161 -
Requires Authentication UnlicensedLicensed
5 The Peripatetic Connection
193 -
Requires Authentication UnlicensedLicensed
6 The Cultural Context: Poetry and Art
224 -
Requires Authentication UnlicensedLicensed
Conclusion
247 -
Requires Authentication UnlicensedLicensed
Bibliography
254 -
Requires Authentication UnlicensedLicensed
Index rerum et nominum
276 -
Requires Authentication UnlicensedLicensed
Index locorum
281
