Significant and the Insignificant: 5 Studies in Herodotus' View of History (Amsterdam Studies in Classical Philology Series, 6)

Although it is widely recognised that Solon’s thoughts on human life (1.30-32) are important to a correct understanding of Herodotus’ work, little attention has been given to their narratological meaning. On the basis of a careful interpretation of five episodes, this monograph argues that Solon’s advice, ‘look to the end’, establishes the viewpoint from which Herodotus’ stories are to be understood. This viewpoint leads to surprising conclusions as to what is and is not important to the development of history. It casts doubts especially on the magnificent role of Athens and its democracy. Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Table of Contents 8 Acknowledgements 10 1 Introduction 11 2 The lord of the ring 15 3 The significance of the insignificant 32 4 A minute's mirth 62 5 Socles' speech to the Spartans 77 6 APXH KAKΩN: The effects of Athenian democracy 99 7 Epilogue: Darius, Xerxes and Amasis 120 Bibliography 132 Summary 139 Samenvatting 142 Indexes 145 Zusammenfassung in holländ. und engl