Clio's Other Sons

Berossus and Manetho

Nonfiction, History, Ancient History, Greece
Cover of the book Clio's Other Sons by John D Dillery, University of Michigan Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: John D Dillery ISBN: 9780472120451
Publisher: University of Michigan Press Publication: April 29, 2015
Imprint: University of Michigan Press Language: English
Author: John D Dillery
ISBN: 9780472120451
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
Publication: April 29, 2015
Imprint: University of Michigan Press
Language: English

Soon after the death of Alexander the Great, the priest Berossus wrote the first known narrative and comprehensive history of his native Babylon, and the priest Manetho likewise wrote the first such history of his native Egyptian civilization. Nothing like these histories had been produced before in these cultures. Clio’s Other Sons considers why that is: why were these histories written at this point, and for what purposes?

Berossus and Manetho operated at the crossings of several political, social, and intellectual worlds. They were members of native elites under the domination of Macedonian overlords; in their writings we can see suggestions that they collaborated in the foreign rule of their lands, but at the same time we see them advocating for their cultures. Their histories were written in Greek and betray active engagement with Greek historical writing, but at the same time these texts are clearly composed from native records, are organized along lines determined by local systems of time-reckoning, and articulate views that are deeply informed by regional scholarly and wisdom traditions. In this volume John Dillery charts the interactions of all these features of these historians. An afterword considers Demetrius, the approximate contemporary of Berossus and Manetho in time, if not in culture. While his associates wrote new histories, Demetrius’ project was a rewriting of an existing text, the Bible. This historiographical “corrective” approach sheds light on the novel historiography of Manetho and Berossus.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Soon after the death of Alexander the Great, the priest Berossus wrote the first known narrative and comprehensive history of his native Babylon, and the priest Manetho likewise wrote the first such history of his native Egyptian civilization. Nothing like these histories had been produced before in these cultures. Clio’s Other Sons considers why that is: why were these histories written at this point, and for what purposes?

Berossus and Manetho operated at the crossings of several political, social, and intellectual worlds. They were members of native elites under the domination of Macedonian overlords; in their writings we can see suggestions that they collaborated in the foreign rule of their lands, but at the same time we see them advocating for their cultures. Their histories were written in Greek and betray active engagement with Greek historical writing, but at the same time these texts are clearly composed from native records, are organized along lines determined by local systems of time-reckoning, and articulate views that are deeply informed by regional scholarly and wisdom traditions. In this volume John Dillery charts the interactions of all these features of these historians. An afterword considers Demetrius, the approximate contemporary of Berossus and Manetho in time, if not in culture. While his associates wrote new histories, Demetrius’ project was a rewriting of an existing text, the Bible. This historiographical “corrective” approach sheds light on the novel historiography of Manetho and Berossus.

More books from University of Michigan Press

Cover of the book Dreams for Dead Bodies by John D Dillery
Cover of the book Unsportsmanlike Conduct by John D Dillery
Cover of the book James Jesse Strang by John D Dillery
Cover of the book The Game Changed by John D Dillery
Cover of the book Science Fiction in Argentina by John D Dillery
Cover of the book Narrating Their Lives by John D Dillery
Cover of the book Social Dimensions of U.S. Trade Policies by John D Dillery
Cover of the book Extreme Pursuits by John D Dillery
Cover of the book Disabled Veterans in History by John D Dillery
Cover of the book Open Wound by John D Dillery
Cover of the book When Courts and Congress Collide by John D Dillery
Cover of the book After Live by John D Dillery
Cover of the book Brokers and Bureaucrats by John D Dillery
Cover of the book The End of Normal by John D Dillery
Cover of the book Gates of Freedom by John D Dillery
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy