Cyranian Traditions
The subject of “Tradition” is problematic when regarding historical sources pertaining to archaic Greece. Much of what we know about ancient times comes from literary sources and various inscriptions, such as Herodotus. Having been written by people of the epoch, influenced by oral tradition as well as political and social climates, and not as historical research, these writings should not be taken literally. And some, like Osborne, would say are automatically disqualified as historical evidence.
When examining the case of the foundation of Cyrene, we must first assess the quality of our main source of information on the subject - Herodotus. Herodotus, who wrote in the 5th century BC, tells us of the stories he had heard from the people …show more content…
He claims that the Theran story emphasizes the difficulties they went through and the amount of careful planning put into the founding endeavor, whereas the Cyrenian version tells almost exclusively of their founder and first king, Battos. He explains these differences by looking at the socio-economical climate at the time the text was written. The Therans had an interest to keep their historical links with prosperous Cyrene alive and well, while it was important for the Cyrenian monarchy, the Battiads, to emphasize Battos’ role to legitimize themselves, as well as affirm Cyrene’s independence. It is clear now that these stories were based on each side’s interests and needs, and are selective and …show more content…
He states the reason for the Cyrenians willingness to accept this different version of their past as that the now fallen Battiad monarchy had become an embarrassment, and the Cyrenians were happy to adopt a version in which Battos no longer played a major role, and that better fitted their current needs.
However, claims Malkin, this analysis relies on the Therans having a fairly vague and short-termed memory of their past, which, as seen by Teuchydides’ story of refugee’s from Epidemnus coming to Corcyra and pointing out their ancestors grave, was not the case as not only oral tradition, but also outside affirmation from visitors helped keep the memory alive.
Furthermore, as seen in the story of Cyrene itself as told by Herodotus, already in the 6th century people regarded Thera as the natural home for exiles from
When examining the case of the foundation of Cyrene, we must first assess the quality of our main source of information on the subject - Herodotus. Herodotus, who wrote in the 5th century BC, tells us of the stories he had heard from the people …show more content…
He claims that the Theran story emphasizes the difficulties they went through and the amount of careful planning put into the founding endeavor, whereas the Cyrenian version tells almost exclusively of their founder and first king, Battos. He explains these differences by looking at the socio-economical climate at the time the text was written. The Therans had an interest to keep their historical links with prosperous Cyrene alive and well, while it was important for the Cyrenian monarchy, the Battiads, to emphasize Battos’ role to legitimize themselves, as well as affirm Cyrene’s independence. It is clear now that these stories were based on each side’s interests and needs, and are selective and …show more content…
He states the reason for the Cyrenians willingness to accept this different version of their past as that the now fallen Battiad monarchy had become an embarrassment, and the Cyrenians were happy to adopt a version in which Battos no longer played a major role, and that better fitted their current needs.
However, claims Malkin, this analysis relies on the Therans having a fairly vague and short-termed memory of their past, which, as seen by Teuchydides’ story of refugee’s from Epidemnus coming to Corcyra and pointing out their ancestors grave, was not the case as not only oral tradition, but also outside affirmation from visitors helped keep the memory alive.
Furthermore, as seen in the story of Cyrene itself as told by Herodotus, already in the 6th century people regarded Thera as the natural home for exiles from