1 of 16

A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME:

​

Herodotos, Translation

and Egyptian Interpreters

Carolina Cruz - 161095

Sella Stok

Sofia Andrade - 155806

2 of 16

HERODOTOS

​

​

​

​

​

​

THE FATHER OF HISTORY

3 of 16

HIS LIFE…

  • Lived from 484 - 430/420 BCE, born in Halicarnassus, Asia Minor (now Bodrum, Turkey)

​

  • Lived in different ancient cities, like Athens and Thurii (Italy)

​

​

  • Travelled widely, to places like Egypt, Libya, Syria, Macedonia and even far north, to the edge of Russia
  • Lived through important events like the Peloponnesian War and the Greco - Persian Wars

​

  • Possibly served as a hoplite in the army

4 of 16

HIS WORK…

  • Main work was the Histories, the first great narrative history of the ancient world

​

  • Histories covers the whole of the Greco - Persian Wars (499 - 479 BCE), divided into nine books

​

  • The war is the focus, but it’s a vast work, describing geographies, histories, politics and cultures of countries involved in the war

5 of 16

HIS METHODS…

  • Called “The Father of History” by Roman scholar Cicero

​

  • The first historian because he was the first to write a whole narrative history on a subject, and to use a rational approach

​

​

  • Complex method of narration, main narrative focused on the war and enriched by digressions and comments on relevant topics

​

  • Writing style infused with personal touch, opinions, amusing stories, dialogue and historical speeches
  • “The Father of Lies”, for his historical inaccuracy

6 of 16

HIS IMPORTANCE…

  • Although flawed, Herodotos has many qualities as a historian, being a well traveled, observant and tolerant man

​

  • An interesting and interested man, very strong personality and curiosity for many disciplines

​

  • Despite controversy about reliability, his work remains a leading source of original historical information

​

  • Highly regarded for his storytelling skill and the literary impact it has had to this day

7 of 16

THE MEANING OF TRANSLATION IN ANCIENT EGYPT

8 of 16

Why Translation Mattered

  • Officials, priests, and traders needed translation to keep records and manage trade.

​

​

  • Translation wasn’t just about words—it shared ideas, beliefs, and values.

​

  • Cultural and political importance

​

  • Greek ideas were introduced into Egypt through translation

​

9 of 16

The Rosetta stone

​

​

  • Egyptian writing was mostly in hieroglyphs.
  • The Rosetta Stone helped decode hieroglyph
  • Scholars used the Greek part to unlock the meaning of hieroglyphs.

​

​

10 of 16

THE ORIGIN OF THE CLASS OF �EGYPTIAN INTERPRETERS

11 of 16

SOME EGYPTIAN HISTORY...

  • The twelve kings meet to offer sacrifice in the temple of Hephaestus;
  • One golden cup is left behind;
  • Psamtik I (Psammetichus) innocently takes his bronze helmet off to receive the wine;
  • The other kings strip him from all his power and banish him;

​

​

12 of 16

SOME EGYPTIAN HISTORY...

  • Psammetichus plots for revenge and seeks advice from the Oracle of Buto: “Vengeance would come from the sea, whence bronze men would appear“;
  • Sea raiders from Ionia and Caria with bronze armour land on the Egyptian coast;
  • Psammetichus befriends them and promises wealth in exchange for help;
  • Psammetichus defeats the eleven kings and becomes sole monarch of Egypt;

​

13 of 16

SOME EGYPTIAN HISTORY...

  • Psammetichus grants lands to the sea raiders;
  • They become the first Greeks to live in Egypt;

​

  • He puts Egyptian boys into their charge to be taught Greek;

​

  • They begin to have sexual relationships;

14 of 16

THANK YOU!

15 of 16

REFERENCE LIST

Robinson D. (2002). Western Translation Theory from Herodotus to Nietzsche. (2nd ed.). Routledge.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, Psamtik I [online].

Available at https://www.britannica.com/biography/Psamtik-I

Cambridge Dictionary (English Dictionary, Translations & Thesaurus) [online].

Available at https://dictionary.cambridge.org/

Encyclopaedia Britannica, Herodotus [online].

Available at https://www.britannica.com/biography/Herodotus-Greek-historian

Mark, J. J. (2022). Herodotus. In World History Encyclopedia [online].

Available at https://www.worldhistory.org/herodotus/

​

Williams, H. (2024, September 24). Why Was The Rosetta Stone Important To Ancient Egypt? HistoryRise. https://historyrise.com/why-rosetta-stone-important-to-ancient-egypt/

​

Cole, E. C. C. (2015). Interpretation and Authority: the Social Functions of Translation in Ancient Egypt. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7j29g3qg

​

16 of 16