지중해세계 최초의 역사서, 헤로도토스의 『역사』 (Herodotos’ Historiai, the First History in the Mediterranean World)

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초록

This article aims to survey in general the life and work of Herodotos of Halikarnassos. Herodotos has been called ‘the father of history’ in the Western world since the ancient times. The event which Herodotos himself declares as the theme of Historiai in the preface of the book is the Greek-Persian Wars. Though the Wars ended in 479 BC, when the Persians were defeated at the battles of Plataia and Mykale, Persia still remained a formidable menace to the Greeks in the fifth century BC. Under these circumstances many Greek states were forced to organize the Delian League under the leadership of the Athenians, and the Greeks and the Persians were in a state of cold war. Meanwhile in the mid-fifth century BC Herodotos’ homeland, Halikarnassos, became a member of the Delian League, perhaps as the result of collapse of tyranny, in which Herodotos and his family might have played a significant role.
Herodotos travelled much through the Greek world and had opportunities to understand the relations between the Greeks and the Persians. These experiences obviously made him choose the Wars as the main theme of his Historiai.
In Herodotos’ days, the meanings of historia were ‘inquiry, the knowledge obtained through inquiry, an account of one’s inquiry.’ But after the publication of his Historiai, many Greek writers including Thukydides followed and imitated the fashion of Herodotean writing.
He set a fine example and his Historiai provided the first model of history book in the Greek world. Since then prose writings dealing with previous actions done by human beings and their causes were called historiai. That was why Herodotos was regarded the father of history.
Herodotos’ viewpoint shown in Historiai is a Hellenes-oriented one. He looked at the world from the standpoint of Greeks. For example, he uses phrases like ‘within the river Halys (Historiai 1.6,1.28, 5.102)’ and ‘beyond the river Halys (Historiai 1.103, 1.130)’ to express ‘west of the river Halys’ and ‘east of the river Halys,’ respectively. Furthermore, Herodotos often calls foreign cities,peoples, and gods in Greek names. He calls some Egyptian cities Helioupolis (Historiai 2.3, 2.7), Hermeoplois (Historiai 2.67), and Neapolis (Historiai 2.91), naming foreign peoples Androphagoi (Historiai 4.18, 4.100, 4.102), Lotophagoi (4.177-178), Ichthyophagoi (3.19-23). In particular, he identifies foreign gods with Greek gods,and calls them in Greek names. In his Historiai the Egyptian gods Ammon, Isis, Osiris and Horus are called Zeus, Demeter, Dionysos and Apollon, respectively. The same is in the case of the Scythian gods. He calls Papaios Zeus, Tabiti Histia, Goitosyros Apollon,Thagimasadas Poseidon. Herodotos also shows Hellenes-oriented view in the idea of foreigners. He considers Greek people as free men, and foreigners as slaves. According to him, while the Greeks fought for freedom on their own, foreigners just followed the order of their master. Herodotos interprets the Greek-Persian War as struggles between freedom and slavery. However, Herodotos is less prejudiced toward foreigners than any other Greek writers. He does not exhibit hatred against foreigners, and admits that all the peoples deserve to have their own customs and cultures. He even praises some customs and values of foreigners, such as Egyptians, Scythians and Persians. On account of it, he was blamed for philobarbaros by Plutarchos.

영어초록

This article aims to survey in general the life and work of Herodotos of Halikarnassos. Herodotos has been called ‘the father of history’ in the Western world since the ancient times. The event which Herodotos himself declares as the theme of Historiai in the preface of the book is the Greek-Persian Wars. Though the Wars ended in 479 BC, when the Persians were defeated at the battles of Plataia and Mykale, Persia still remained a formidable menace to the Greeks in the fifth century BC. Under these circumstances many Greek states were forced to organize the Delian League under the leadership of the Athenians, and the Greeks and the Persians were in a state of cold war. Meanwhile in the mid-fifth century BC Herodotos’ homeland, Halikarnassos, became a member of the Delian League, perhaps as the result of collapse of tyranny, in which Herodotos and his family might have played a significant role.
Herodotos travelled much through the Greek world and had opportunities to understand the relations between the Greeks and the Persians. These experiences obviously made him choose the Wars as the main theme of his Historiai.
In Herodotos’ days, the meanings of historia were ‘inquiry, the knowledge obtained through inquiry, an account of one’s inquiry.’ But after the publication of his Historiai, many Greek writers including Thukydides followed and imitated the fashion of Herodotean writing.
He set a fine example and his Historiai provided the first model of history book in the Greek world. Since then prose writings dealing with previous actions done by human beings and their causes were called historiai. That was why Herodotos was regarded the father of history.
Herodotos’ viewpoint shown in Historiai is a Hellenes-oriented one. He looked at the world from the standpoint of Greeks. For example, he uses phrases like ‘within the river Halys (Historiai 1.6,1.28, 5.102)’ and ‘beyond the river Halys (Historiai 1.103, 1.130)’ to express ‘west of the river Halys’ and ‘east of the river Halys,’ respectively. Furthermore, Herodotos often calls foreign cities,peoples, and gods in Greek names. He calls some Egyptian cities Helioupolis (Historiai 2.3, 2.7), Hermeoplois (Historiai 2.67), and Neapolis (Historiai 2.91), naming foreign peoples Androphagoi (Historiai 4.18, 4.100, 4.102), Lotophagoi (4.177-178), Ichthyophagoi (3.19-23). In particular, he identifies foreign gods with Greek gods,and calls them in Greek names. In his Historiai the Egyptian gods Ammon, Isis, Osiris and Horus are called Zeus, Demeter, Dionysos and Apollon, respectively. The same is in the case of the Scythian gods. He calls Papaios Zeus, Tabiti Histia, Goitosyros Apollon,Thagimasadas Poseidon. Herodotos also shows Hellenes-oriented view in the idea of foreigners. He considers Greek people as free men, and foreigners as slaves. According to him, while the Greeks fought for freedom on their own, foreigners just followed the order of their master. Herodotos interprets the Greek-Persian War as struggles between freedom and slavery. However, Herodotos is less prejudiced toward foreigners than any other Greek writers. He does not exhibit hatred against foreigners, and admits that all the peoples deserve to have their own customs and cultures. He even praises some customs and values of foreigners, such as Egyptians, Scythians and Persians. On account of it, he was blamed for philobarbaros by Plutarchos.

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