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The early historian Xanthus of Lydia. Some issues regarding biography and creative work
https://doi.org/10.28995/2686-7249-2023-4-10-28
Abstract
The article deals with a prominent representative of early Greek historical writing, Xanthus of Lydia, whose life and legacy have been studied extremely insufficiently; correspondingly, a number of issues still unsolved is connected with him, chronological ones among them. In particular, there are various opinions as to the time of his life, and so it is not clear whether he influenced Herodotus or vice versa. One of the reasons for that is certainly the fragmentary preservation of their writings, none of which has survived in full. However, the fragments of those texts that we have at our disposal are in the aggregate numerous, and the information they contain provides a basis for responsible judgments on many subject-plots. The article provides arguments, according to which Xanthus was Herodotus’ elder contemporary and the influence came from him. Common features between the two above-mentioned historians are analyzed.
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About the Author
I. E. SurikovRussian Federation
Igor E. Surikov, Dr. in Sci. (History), professor
bld. 32a, Leninskiy Av., Moscow, 119334
bld. 6, Miusskaya Sq., Moscow, 125047
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Supplementary files
For citation: Surikov I.E. The early historian Xanthus of Lydia. Some issues regarding biography and creative work. RSUH/RGGU Bulletin: “Literary Teory. Linguistics. Cultural Studies”, Series. 2023;(4):10-28. https://doi.org/10.28995/2686-7249-2023-4-10-28
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