Journal article
Cultural antitheses: reflections of Herodotus 2.35-36
- Abstract:
- By way of prologue to his account of Egyptian manners and customs Herodotus offers a striking catalogue of cultural antitheses (2.35f.) which (though somewhat inconsistent with his general presentation of Egypt) has enjoyed an interesting Nachleben. This form of antithetical description presupposes recognition of a society basically commensurable with the writer's own, where similar conventions and principles of organization can be discerned. Herodotus' catalogue appears to have served as a model for a collection of 609 paired observations contrasting European and Japanese practices, compiled by the Jesuit Luis Fróis (1532-97) and published in 1955 by J. F. Schütte, S. J. The purpose of this not easily classifiable booklet is unclear, but emulation of Herodotus would provide an adequate motive for what might have started as a jeu d'esprit, and certain details strongly suggest a direct debt.
- Publication status:
- Published
- Peer review status:
- Peer reviewed
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- Publisher copy:
- 10.1007/BF02701309
Authors
- Publisher:
- Springer
- Journal:
- International Journal of the Classical Tradition More from this journal
- Volume:
- 5
- Issue:
- 1
- Pages:
- 3-19
- DOI:
- ISSN:
-
1073-0508
- Language:
-
English
- Keywords:
- Subjects:
- UUID:
-
uuid:ef954227-7193-4d83-ae95-7e7e107ef5b3
- Local pid:
-
ora:4658
- Deposit date:
-
2010-12-22
- ARK identifier:
Terms of use
- Copyright holder:
- International Society for the Classical Tradition
- Copyright date:
- 1998
- Notes:
- The full-text of this article is not currently available in ORA, but the original publication is available at springerlink.com (which you may be able to access via the publisher copy link on this record page).
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