Herodotus’ perspective on the Persian empire

Thomas Harrison

doi:10.4467/20800909el.22.003.15773

Herodotus’ perspective on the Persian empire

Thomas Harrison^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

This paper reviews the different models commonly used in understanding Herodotus’evidence on the Achaemenid Persian empire. It suggests that these approaches—for example, the assessment of Herodotus’accuracy, of the level of his knowledge, or of his sympathy for the Persians—systematically underestimate the complexity of his (and of the Greeks’) perspective on the Persian empire: the conflicted perspective of a participant rather than just a detached observer.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	23-37
Number of pages	15
Journal	Electrum
Volume	29
Early online date	21 Oct 2022
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.4467/20800909el.22.003.15773
Publication status	Published - 1 Nov 2022

Keywords

Herodotus
Achaemenid
Persia
Imperialism
Xerxes
Hellenocentrism

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10.4467/20800909el.22.003.15773Licence: CC BY-NC-ND

Harrison_2022_Electrum_Herodutus-perspective_VoR
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Cite this

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Herodotus’ perspective on the Persian empire

Abstract

Keywords

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