Barbarian

4 Pages 1091 Words

Barbarian. Within the text of Herodotus, this term meant “a
non-Greek.” Originally, this term was not meant to be offensive or
negative, but over time the Greeks began to think of themselves as
culturally superior to the barbarians.
The Greeks believed in a concept called “guest-friendship.” Guest
friendship was when one man (or community) would extend his
protection to an outsider visiting his community. Guest friendship
involved reciprocal gift giving and was a very formal procedure.
This process was eternally under the protection of the great Greek
deity Zeus. Though the ancient Greeks entertained guests from
various locations and cultures, they held to the fact that their own
Greek culture was entirely pure and of their invention. Ancient
Greeks did not cite the influences of others on their fine art.
Within the ancient Greek culture, the term “hero” referred to a
mortal made divine after death. In other words, “an intermediate
generation between gods and mortals.” (Herodotus, pg. xxx)
Herodotus The Histories is an amazing work. This work is titled a
history, but it is important to remember that a history is not just a
telling of past events. Even the most objective histories contain
the biases and personal prejudices of the author. Herodotus is no
exception. Within his many detailed stories and events, the reader
can clearly sense his thoughts of Greek supremacy.
The ancient Greek people were very proud of their culture for
many different reasons. A main source of pride, however, was
the Greek style of art and architecture. The Greek culture was
very rich around the time of the fifth and sixth centuries BC,
influencing many other cultures that came in contact with it.
One such culture was that of the Persians.
The Greek force defeated the Persian force, lead by Xerxes, in 479
BC. After this battle, there is evidence of Persian art having som...