Speaking to the Deaf: Herodotus, his Audience, and the Spartans at the Beginning of the Peloponnesian War
Year: 2012
Type: article
Abstract: This paper argues that Herodotus hoped that his account of his investigations, among other purposes, would warn his contemporary audience of listeners and readers of the dangers of imperialist ambitions not only in Athens but also in Sparta. Through key episodes and personalities (Tegea, Cleomenes, Leonidas, the Isthmus wall), Herodotus portrays the Spartans as paradoxically both imperialist and isolationist. He implies that Greeks should not trust Sparta as a champion of Greek freedom from Athenian tyranny, but many did not heed the warning.
Source: Histos
DOI: 10.29173/histos217
Author: Philip A. Stadter
Language: English
Topic: Classical Antiquity Studies
Subfield: Anthropology
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W2552546569