Thinking, Recording, and Writing History in the Ancient World Offers Readers Invaluable Insights Into Pre-Modern in the Ancient World Historical Thinking and Writing

7mm 7mm 93mm 174mm 25.9mm 174mm 93mm Edited by Raaflaub Edited by Kurt A. Raaflaub is David Herlihy University Thinking, Recording, Professor and Professor of Classics and History emeritus at Brown University. His publications and Writing History include The Discovery of Freedom in Ancient Greece in the Ancient World (2004), Origins of Democracy in Ancient Greece (with Thinking, Recording, Josiah Ober and Robert Wallace, 2007), Geography Edited by Kurt A. Raaflaub and Ethnography: Perceptions of the World in Pre- and Writing History Modern Societies (ed., with Richard J. A. Talbert, When and why did ancient peoples begin to think Wiley-Blackwell, 2010), The Roman Empire in in the Ancient World about the past, record, and write history? Thinking, Context: Historical and Comparative Perspectives Edited by Kurt A. Raaflaub Recording, and Writing History in the Ancient (ed., with Johann P. Arnason, Wiley-Blackwell, World explores the many ways in which ancient 2011), and The Greek Polis and the Invention of civilizations thought about the past, recorded it, Democracy: A Politico-Cultural Transformation and and wrote their own histories – and the role of Its Interpretations (ed., with Johann P. Arnason and historical thinking and writing in ancient societies. Peter Wagner, Wiley-Blackwell, 2013). “This book meets three demands of the humanities today: transcending the Western perspective into a universal one; addressing the broad variety of cultures; and reflecting this new approach conceptually. Thus it gives new Demonstrating how a concern about the past and answers to the old question: what is history?” thoughts of history are hallmarks of all developed Jörn Rüsen, Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities in Essen civilizations, this collection discusses the ways in which such thoughts and concerns found “In this excellent anthology, internationally renowned experts of historical expression in various ancient or early cultures. thinking and writing embed their predecessors’ ideas in their respective An international group of scholars working in contexts. Furthermore, they convincingly explain the differences between many disciplines contribute chapters that address pre-modern forms of historical thinking and the conceptual categories we historical thinking and writing in a range of use today.” Josef Wiesehöfer, The University of Kiel ancient cultures in East, South, and West Asia, the Mediterranean, and the Americas. They also discuss historiography shaped by religious perspectives, 252mm History in the Ancient World and Writing Recording, Thinking, including Judaism, early Christianity, Islam, and Thinking, Recording, Buddhism. By presenting a cross-cultural comparison of early and Writing History societies’ attempts to deal with the past, Thinking, Recording, and Writing History in the Ancient World offers readers invaluable insights into pre-modern in the Ancient World historical thinking and writing. Edited by Kurt A. Raaflaub Thinking, Recording, and Writing History in the Ancient World The Ancient World: Comparative Histories Series Editor: Kurt A. Raaflaub Published War and Peace in the Ancient World Edited by Kurt A. Raaflaub Household and Family Religion in Antiquity Edited by John Bodel and Saul Olyan Epic and History Edited by David Konstan and Kurt A. Raaflaub Geography and Ethnography: Perceptions of the World in Pre-Modern Societies Edited by Kurt A. Raaflaub and Richard J. A. Talbert The Roman Empire in Context: Historical and Comparative Perspectives Edited by Johann P. Arnason and Kurt A. Raaflaub Highways, Byways, and Road Systems in the Pre-Modern World Edited by Susan E. Alcock, John Bodel, and Richard J. A. Talbert The Gift in Antiquity Edited by Michael L. Satlow The Greek Polis and the Invention of Democracy: A Politico-cultural Transformation and Its Interpretations Edited by Johann P. Arnason, Kurt A. Raaflaub, and Peter Wagner Thinking, Recording, and Writing History in the Ancient World Edited by Kurt A. Raaflaub Thinking, Recording, and Writing History in the Ancient World Edited by Kurt A. Raaflaub This edition first published 2014 © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc Registered Office John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK Editorial Offices 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2DQ, UK The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK For details of our global editorial offices, for customer services, and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell. The right of Kurt A. Raaflaub to be identified as the author of the editorial material in this work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author(s) have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services and neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Thinking, recording, and writing history in the ancient world / edited by Kurt A. Raaflaub. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-118-41250-3 (cloth : alk. paper) – ISBN 978-1-118-41254-1 – ISBN 978-1-118-41311-1 (epub) – ISBN 978-1-118-41312-8 (epdf) – ISBN 978-1-118-41313-5 (emobi) 1. History, Ancient–Historiography. 2. History, Ancient–Methodology. I. Raaflaub, Kurt A. D56.T47 2014 930.072–dc23 2013030059 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Cover image: L-R Sima Qian (Wikimedia Commons), Maya Codex (© J.Enrique Molina / Alamy), Bust of Thucydides (photo Shakko / Wikimedia Commons) Cover design by cyandesign.co.uk Set in 10/13pt Galliard by SPi Publisher Services, Pondicherry, India 1 2014 Contents Series Editor’s Preface vii Notes on Contributors ix Introduction 1 Kurt A. Raaflaub 1 On Being Historical 6 David Carr 2 The Task and Ritual of Historical Writing in Early China 19 Stephen W. Durrant 3 History and Primordium in Ancient Indian Historical Writing: Itihāsa and Purāṇa in the Mahabharatā ̄ and Beyond 41 James L. Fitzgerald 4 Historical Consciousness and Historical Traditions in Early North India 61 Romila Thapar 5 Thinking, Recording, and Writing History in Ancient Japan: The Nihon shoki as a Text of Transition 79 Christian Oberländer 6 As the Dharmacakra Turns: Buddhist and Jain Macrohistorical Narratives of the Past, Present, and Future 97 Jason Neelis vi CONTENTS 7 History as Festival? A Reassessment of the Use of the Past and the Place of Historiography in Ancient Egyptian Thought 117 Thomas Schneider 8 The Presence of the Past in Early Mesopotamian Writings 144 Piotr Michalowski 9 “Two Old Tablets”: Thinking, Recording, and Writing History in Hittite Society 169 Theo van den Hout 10 Thinking and Writing about History in Teispid and Achaemenid Persia 187 Robert Rollinger 11 Historical Texts in the Hebrew Bible? 213 Marc Zvi Brettler 12 The Many Faces of the Past in Archaic and Classical Greece 234 Jonas Grethlein 13 How the Romans Remembered, Recorded, Thought About, and Used Their Past 256 Andreas Mehl 14 Patterns of Early Christian Thinking and Writing of History: Paul – Mark – Acts 276 Eve-Marie Becker 15 Byzantine historia 297 Stratis Papaioannou 16 The Past in the Early and Medieval Islamic Middle East (circa 750–circa 1250) 314 Andrew Marsham 17 Sources and Scales of Classic Maya History 340 Nicholas P. Carter 18 The Poetics and Politics of Aztec History 372 Lori Boornazian Diel 19 Corn and Her Story Traveled: Reading North American Graphic Texts in Relation to Oral Traditions 391 Lisa Brooks Index 417 Series Editor’s Preface The Ancient World: Comparative Histories The purpose of this series is to pursue important social, political, religious, economic, and intellectual issues through a wide range of ancient or early societies, while occasionally covering an even broader diachronic scope. By engaging in comparative studies of the ancient world on a truly global scale, this series hopes to throw light not only on common patterns and marked differences, but also to illustrate the remarkable variety of responses humankind developed to meet common challenges. Focusing as it does on periods that are

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