Preview

Herodotus: Differences Between Hellenic Customs And Persian Customs

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
219 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Herodotus: Differences Between Hellenic Customs And Persian Customs
Herodotus repeatedly underscores the differences between Hellenic customs and Persian customs, alternating between admiring Persian practices and customs and referring to them as “barbarians.” He at one time, even goes so far as to portray the Persians in a favorable light in comparison to the Greeks by commending them for their trial practices. For example in Persian governing proceedings, punishment may be carried out only if the virtues of an individual are considered to not outweigh his offenses. Lying is considered the greatest of offenses while concurring debt is considered the second gravest offense, implying that Persians tend to be for the most part an honest group. Though welcoming of foreign customs, “Persians will drive out of the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Many areas of the film have been completely altered, For example in Herodotus The histories there is no mention at all of Leonidas’ wife queen Gorgo. In the times of aqncient Greece women were not involved in political debates within the film Queen Gorgo argues her husband’s case to send more Spartan troops to Thermopylae while he is fighting the Persians. This would not have occurred in ancient Greece as women were not considered citizens or equals to men.(Although Spartan women were regarded more highly then other ancient Greek woman) Gorgo is the only main character who is female in the film 300 and probably has such a large role in the film to either draw a female audience to the film (as a female character they can relate to, or a drama aspect of the film they can enjoy and for men there is the appeal of sex) to make it more appealing through the use of a female main character.…

    • 390 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Both Persia and Greece were very influential during 600 BCE-600 CE. They were both very similar and different in their political and economical areas, and they also had similarities in differences in their social life. Politically, Persia and Greece were very different in the way that Persia was ruled by a king while in Greece each polis was governed separately. Now economically, Greece depended on imported goods, and Persia was mainly an agriculture based economy. Their social lives also had similarities and differences, but one of the main similarities was the males role in daily life.…

    • 335 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Persians were a brutish people, who wanted nothing more than to conquer and ruin the Greek way of life. The Persians played the Greek city-states against one another in order to inhibit success against their attacks. The Ionian Greeks were conquered by these barbarians, and their way of life was threatened. The Greek's freedom was perishing, while the power of the Persian's continued to expand. The Persians were a tolerant empire with strong leaders and some autonomy though they restricted the Ionian Greek's autonomy to make their lives easier, then pitting the Greek city-states against each other in order to have influence within Greek culture once again, though the defeat of the Persians was a crucial victory for the Greeks, because…

    • 294 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Was Odysseus Honorable

    • 466 Words
    • 2 Pages

    If you were to have a foreign exchange student would you openly take them in to stay with you and feed them? Well that was what the Greeks thought was honorable in their culture. Whether it was a king or a beggar they would be accepted in and treated as a guest in the same ways. Most Greeks were very honorable and would accept whomever would arrive to their living state. In addition the odyssey, Odysseus has people who openly take him in and people who are keen on throwing him out or in some cases even trying to kill him. In this paper I will go over some cases where Odysseus is accepted as a guest and treated with respect and where Odysseus is neglected to be a guest and tried to be harmed.…

    • 466 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    As we were told when we were young children, too much of a good thing is not a good thing. The same phrase can apply to aspects in lives now. Literature shows how pride can be a good thing, but too much of it is not. In fact, the opposite of pride, humility, is an extremely important value. The Bible and Edith Hamilton’s Mythology both show how a lack of the value humility will result in consequence through characterization and plot.…

    • 622 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Herodotus was a Greek historian whose work encompassed Western civilization involving conflicts between Greece and the Persian Empire. There were many differences between the Greeks and the Persians. For instance, the Greeks struggled to find freedom during 480 B.C – 400 B.C. They were determined to train their soldiers, especially Spartan warriors, to be brave, courageous, and strong for defensive purposes from Persian invasion. On the other hand, the Persians differed from the Greeks because they believed their Empire needed more power. The Persians exercised gaining absolute power under their leader, Xerxes, by invading civilization west of Asia to strengthen their Empire. Xerxes’ intentions for invasion were also based on vengeance from previous battles for expansion of their Empire. Xerxes motives for invading Greece were tyrannical, and the events that lead the Persian Empire western invasion were based on reckless intentions from a ruthless leader.…

    • 777 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Between the Romans and the Persians they both have their different outlooks on women but, they also share some things whether it be politically, cultural or just their beliefs in general. Also, having values and power privileges about their sexuality in two different ways such as emphasizing or de-emphasizing.…

    • 441 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    A misstep in Athenian diplomacy resulted in the greatest military threat that evidently put the freedom of Greece at risk from invasions from the Persian empire. The Persian empire was ultimately the largest most powerful military force found in the ancient world. Unlike the Persian empire, the Athenian empire was seen as insignificant and little was known about their reign. However, within two generations Athens would proceed to control the Athenian Empire. This transformation from little significance to an ultimate power is result of a generation long war that dubbed the Classical Age.…

    • 1108 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the 5th century BC the vast Persian Empire attempted to conquer Greece. If the Persians had succeeded, they would have set up local tyrants, called satraps, to rule Greece and would have crushed the first stirrings of democracy in Europe.…

    • 1147 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The ancient Greeks had many customs that were valued throughout the land and were depicted in many of their myths like The Odyssey and The Iliad. The Greeks followed many different customs like honoring the gods and the guest host relationship. The guest-host relationship, which everyone practiced in Greece, explains how everyone should be treated with respect, no matter who they end up staying with or where they end up staying. Greek customs were highly respected and if followed diligently, one could be rewarded, but it could also be very detrimental if someone were to not follow these customs.…

    • 1293 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Dbq Ancient Greek Culture

    • 462 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Ancient Greece culture has made many contributions to western civilization. The ancient Greeks affected the western civilizations math, government, sports, and medicine. They affected the western civilization in a big way. We even use some of these contributions today.…

    • 462 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    All Persian men to the age of 50 years were obligated to serve in the armies of the Persian Empire…

    • 409 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In conclusion, it is evident that the civilization of Greece can be analyzed through the perspectives of different authors. The Iliad by Homer and The Histories by Herodotus describes the civilization of Greece from a transformation of a shame culture to a guilt culture. In the Iliad individuals are publicly shamed for not conforming to the societal norms. However, in the Histories individuals begin to feel guilty for acting in a manner that is against the moral code. According to Thucydides, increment in power on one state allows it to oppress the weaker…

    • 1211 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Persian and Peloponnesian wars were both significant conflicts that tested independence. Documenting these wars was obviously hard at this point of civilization, but two men did, and are now known as the great writers of their time. When analyzing the writings of Herodotus and Thucydides, the authors must be compared and contrasted. Though it is almost impossible to know the complete accuracy of their accounts, analyzing the writing style will give us a good sense of their validity.…

    • 611 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Greek Culture Essay

    • 884 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Greece’s culture is high context, which means that for the Greek culture the meaning of messages is determined by the context or the environment. Most of their communication is implicit. The members of the culture are skilled in reading non-verbal cues. Their interactions do not need explanation because of their common history. This is the reason why Greeks will interrupt what someone is saying while they try to figure out what is means. This is a common aspect of Greek communication. Greeks tend to speak quite loudly and with a lot of emotion. At times it may appear as if they are yelling and annoyed but it is most likely a normal tone of voice. Direct eye contact is expected it is viewed as a sign of interest and respect towards the speaker.…

    • 884 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays