Authority and tradition in ancient historiography /
John Marincola.
- Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 1997.
- 1 online resource (xvi, 361 pages) : illustrations
- ACLS Humanities E-Book. .
Includes bibliographical references (pages 293-315) and indexes.
The scope and subject of the book -- Authority -- Tradition -- History's place and audience -- The greatness of the subject -- Decisions and dreams -- Dedications and the desires of friends -- Glory and renown -- Eyes, ears and contemporary history -- Closed societies and privileged access -- Improving the past -- Myth and history -- The importance of character -- Experience -- Effort -- Impartiality -- Praise and self-praise -- Person and perspective -- Strategies of self-presentation -- The uses of polemic -- Polemic and self-definition -- Continuity and culmination -- App. I. Table of historians -- App. II. Name and nationality -- App. III. Isocrates on autopsy and inquiry? -- App. IV. Variant versions.
This book is a study of the various claims to authority made by the ancient Greek and Roman historians throughout their histories and is the first to examine all aspects of the historian's self-presentation. It shows how each historian claimed veracity by imitating, modifying, and manipulating the traditions established by his predecessors. Beginning with a discussion of the tension between individuality and imitation, it then categorises and analyses the recurring topoi used to establish the historian's authority: how he came to write history; the qualifications he brought to the task; the inquiries and efforts he made in his research; and his claims to possess a reliable character. By detailing how each historian used the tradition to claim and maintain his own authority, the book contributes to a better understanding of the complex nature of ancient historiography.