Between Greeks and "Barbarians": the first historian and the creation of a dichotomy
Heródoto, o primeiro historiador, e a criação de uma dicotomia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34019/2359-4489.2025.v12.48464Keywords:
Herodotus, Greek and Barbarians dichotomy, Cultural identityAbstract
This article investigates the origin of the dichotomy between Greeks and barbarians in Herodotus' Histories, analyzing the mythological and Homeric roots within the text, as well as the sociopolitical context of the fifth century BCE, when it was produced. Based on a bibliographical review and the analysis of primary sources, it is argued that the opposition between these two peoples, as portrayed by Herodotus, was a retrospective projection of the cultural conflict between Greeks and Persians after the Greco-Persian Wars, inserted into the myth of the Trojan War, of which the author saw himself as a continuator. It is observed that this categorization played a fundamental role in the construction of Hellenic identity and in subsequent historiographical thought. It is concluded that the study of the formation of this division reveals the influence of this opposition between Greeks and barbarians on foundational authors of Western thought.
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