In this accessible volume, Thomas R. Martin compares the writings of Herodotus in ancient Greece with those of Sima Qian in ancient China to demonstrate the hallmarks of early history writing. While these authors lived in different centuries and were not aware of each other's works, Martin shows the similar struggles that each grappled with in preparing their historical accounts and how their efforts helped invent modern notions of history writing and the job of the historian.
The introduction's cross-cultural analysis includes a biography of each author, illustrating the setting and times in which he worked, as well as a discussion of how each man introduced interpretation and moral judgment into his writing. The accompanying documents include excerpts from Herodotus' The Histories and Sima Qian's Shiji, which illustrate their approach to history writing and their understanding of their own cultures.
- ISBN13 9780312416492
- Publish Date 8 September 2009
- Publish Status Active
- Out of Print 10 November 2021
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Bedford/Saint Martin's
- Edition 1st ed. 2010
- Format Paperback
- Pages 208
- Language English