The Greek World: A Study of History and Culture Season 1 Episode 18 Greek Historians: The Birth of History

In the eighteenth episode of season one of The Greek World: A Study of History and Culture, viewers are taken through an exploration of Greek Historians: The Birth of History. Through this episode, viewers will gain insight into the origins of the historical writing and analysis that is so commonly used in modern society and trace this practice back to the Greeks.

The episode commences with a discussion of the first-ever Greek historian, Herodotus, and his renowned text, The Histories. From here, the program delves into the way in which Herodotus, as well as other historians like Thucydides and Xenophon, redefined the way in which history was recorded. By introducing and honing the method of analysis that is now commonplace in the field of history, the Greeks were able to capture their most significant historical moments in rich detail. This episode highlights the elements of Herodotus's writing that made him stand out amongst his contemporaries, including his use of storytelling and his presentation of both sides of any given event. The episode also examines some notable events from Herodotus’s work, including the Persian Wars and the rise of Athens.

The discussion then shifts to the period in which Greek historians began to expand beyond their boundaries and explore other cultures and ideas. Examples are provided of historians like Xenophon, who embarked on such explorations for different reasons, sometimes as records of travel logs and military campaigns like in Xenophon's Anabasis. In doing so, these historians helped to expand our view of the world beyond just Greece and provided a valuable insight into the ancient world from the perspective of the Greeks.

One key point highlighted in this episode is the deeply imbedded tendency towards bias in historiography, a practice that, while it was deemed subjective, did allow the Greeks to fully express their stance on any given event. The program also explores the different ways in which history was used to serve its end-users, whether that be a means of recording military campaigns or legal and political proceedings.

By the end of the episode, viewers will have gained significant insight into the intricate workings of the Greek world of historians and the tremendous impact they had on our understanding of history at large. The episode concludes an examination of the legacy that the Greeks' approach to historiography has left us with today.

Overall, Greek Historians: The Birth of History is an engaging and thought-provoking episode that has something to offer to audiences of all levels of historical knowledge. The exploration of the Greek approach to historiography and the ways in which they created history provide fascinating insight into the ancient world and the development of a subject that carries on today. Highly recommend to lovers of history.