1 of 17

Herodotus. “The Origin of the Class of Egyptian Interpreters”

Presentation by Guilherme Sousa

2 of 17

Herodotus Halicarnassus

  • Born in Halicarnassus around 484 BC;
  • Possible death in Thurium, due to a plague, arround 425 BC (60 years);
  • Author of The Histories, a work about the Greco–Persian Wars.

3 of 17

Herodotus, Father of History - Father of Lies

  • The author was given the title of Father of History by the roman orator Cicero (106 – 43 BC).

  • “My work is not a piece of writing designed to meet the taste of an immediate public (...)” – Thucydides.

4 of 17

Herodotus named his nine books of The Histories after the 9 Muses. The Book 2 is called Euterpe, the Muse of music.

5 of 17

The eleven kings banished Psammetichus

Psammetichus had no cup, so he used his helmet

The Origin of the Class of Egyptian Interpreters

Twelve Egyptian Kings gathered in the last day of a Festival

6 of 17

He was told by the oracle of Buto, that bronze men would help him defeat the kings.

A company of Ionian raiders ashored on the land, they were covered in bronze armour.

Psammetichus befriended the raiders and promised them many riches.

7 of 17

Psammetichus was crowned ruler of Egypt.

The king put a group of young boys at the Greek’s service, to learn their language.

And so were born the first Egyptian interpreters.

8 of 17

General Horemheb communicates with foreigners with the assistance of interpreters

9 of 17

  • The Histories are Herodotus’ inquiries.

“Of Herodotus of Halicarnassus’ inquiry here’s the showing forth that neither the deeds of human beings with time pass away nor great and marvelous actions (…)”

-Herodotus Halicarnassus

10 of 17

  • Herodotus’ beliefs

“Herodotus believes in divine retribution (…) but his emphasis is always on human actions and character rather than on the interventions of the gods.”

- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

11 of 17

  • Greece above everything else

The Greeks were xenophobic and chauvinists, they cared little for other cultures and not at all for other languages.

12 of 17

Compare this definition from an Arabic-English dictionary of the three letter root ae-ja-ma: ‘speaking incorrect Arabic, dumb, speechless, barbarian, non-Arab, foreigner, alien, Persian.”

13 of 17

The Importance of The Histories

  • A work about the peoples around the Mediterranean Sea;
  • A different way of writing History;
  • A Greek’s perception of foreign languages;

14 of 17

Bibliography | Sitography

15 of 17

16 of 17

17 of 17