Western Civilization I / Unit 4 WC1 0313 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Herodotus Invents History From Sources
Captions available
The idea
History as explanatory narrative from primary sources is a Greek invention. Herodotus, born about four eighty-four on the witness, explained the Persian War by how peoples respond to political and social pressure, traveling and reading widely.
In practice
His world map with Greece at the center.
Where people slip
He still called foreigners barbarians while asking whether cultures can be better.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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