This Thesis examines the Hellenocentric trend in Herodotos' History, and the use of a dominant female motif to illustrate the superiority of the Greeks. It has been pointed out that Herodotos "is an important and generally neglected witness to fifth-century assumptions and attitudes about women in society" (Dewald 1981, 91). This statement certainly holds true for much of Herodotos' ethnographic material, and he seems to escape the narrow ethnocentrism reflected in later writers. However, Herodotos was much more than an ethnographer, and therefore much more than a witness. He was primarily an artist, and undeniably influenced by Homer. His own ideas concerning limit, transgression, and nomos are discernible throughout his work. Free invention and manipulation of material, without distortion of facts, were, in my opinion, not only acceptable to Herodotos, but necessary to achieve the desired composition. The subjective nature of Herodotos' work can be established, and his own personal biases must therefore be considered. Two of these biases need concern us: the one towards women, and the other towards the Persians. Herodotos certainly acknowledges the value and necessity of a reciprocity between men and women in the cultures he describes, and yet his perception undoubtedly reflects that of a fifth century Greek male. He demonstrates his own authorial bias concerning women in 1.196, where men are dearly more important than women. Here Herodotos gives his personal stamp of approval. The 'otherness' of Persia in fifth century Greek tragedy has been observed in recent years, and the theory that Persia is described as a diametrically opposed 'other' culture in Herodotos has also been suggested. It is, however, a combination of facts together with elements of 'otherness' and Herodotos' own artistic technique that make up Persian culture in the History . If male supremacy was the norm in Herodotos' own culture, what would be the norm in the anti-Greek 'other' culture? The answer is a society where women seem to be in control and seem to be superior to men, and this is the Persian society we see in Herodotos.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uottawa.ca/oai:ruor.uottawa.ca:10393/8484 |
| Date | January 1999 |
| Creators | McAllister, Michael A. |
| Contributors | Bloedow, Edmund, |
| Publisher | University of Ottawa (Canada) |
| Source Sets | Université d’Ottawa |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 172 p. |
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