From:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/03/science/03etruscan.html<http://www.n
ytimes.com/2007/04/03/science/03etruscan.html>
"As for Herodotus, Ms. Jovino said she believed, liked most modern
historians, "that he does not always report real historical facts."
often referring to oral tradition"
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I wonder myself sometimes, how is possible for some peoples (having
in addition a specialisation in History), to really believe that
Herodotus was a simple idiot...that didn't know too much about what
he said.
In addition, in place to assert this directly they say this in some
indirect ways like : "he was more based on the oral traditions than
based on the real historical facts"
I would say to Ms. Jovino: please come FIRST AT ALL with 2-3 CLEAR
HISTORICAL FACTS where Herodotus was FOR SURE WRONG.
I will try to compare here the Method used by Herodotus with that one
used by Ms. Jovino:
A) Herodotus is aware about the role of his own doubts and his own
faith when he writes:
"[4.96] I for my part neither put entire faith in this story of
Zalmoxis and his underground chamber, nor do I altogether discredit
it: but I believe Zalmoxis to have lived long before the time of
Pythagoras. Whether there was ever really a man of the name, or
whether Zalmoxis is nothing but a native god of the Getae, I now bid
him farewell. As for the Getae themselves, the people who observe the
practices described above, they were now reduced by the Persians, and
accompanied the army of Darius."
B) On the other hand, reading again Ms. Jovino assertions:
"As for Herodotus, Ms. Jovino said she believed, liked most modern
historians, "that he does not always report real historical facts."
often referring to oral tradition"
As everybody can see, I couldn't detect any doubt in her assertions...
So Ms. Jovine still need to learn from Herodotus, one of the main
points in the Epistemology of History : that the historian own faith
is always part of the history; and not only that is part, but it
plays the key role related to what the historian wrote.
Herodotus was aware about this, 2500 years ago.
It seeems that Ms. Jovino is not aware even today.
Of course, learning from Herodotus is not a shame, is a merit.
However, ignoring him, is really a shame.
Marius