Ricerc@Sapienza

This article deals with the interaction between Thucydides’ and Herodotus’ accounts of the history of ancient Macedonia. The starting point is Thucydides’ narrative of the expedition of Sitalkes, king of the Odrysians, against Perdicca II in 429/8 BC (Thuc. 2. 95-101). Thucydides adopts a narrative scheme frequently used by Herodotus for the military campaign of a king, and responds to some characteristic features of Herodotus’ historiography (ethnography, geography, captivating tales about the past). The paper focuses on Thuc. 2. 98 - 100. 2.

Il volume si articola in tre parti: Parte prima. Una vita nel flusso della storia (Capp. 1-5). Parte seconda. Politica e storiografia (Capp. 6-9). Parte terza. L'ombra di Hegel (e di Bossuet).

The relevance of Herodotus’ contribution to Achaemenid history can hardly be underestimated since about half of his text deals with Persia and Persians. This article offers a brief review of what Herodotus says about Persia in Book 7, paying special attention to the historical contexts to which the traditions he uses may be referred, and considering his presentation of Persia and its empire in the light of the interaction between Persians, Greeks and local populations in the Anatolia during the Persian period as attested also by the archaeological evidence.