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Some features to characterization of Hellanicus of Lesbos’ outlook
https://doi.org/10.28995/2686-7249-2024-4-12-29
Abstract
Hellanicus of Lesbos was one of major Greek historians of the 5th century B.C. His main contribution to the development of historical writing is connected with his scrupulous elaboration of chronology issues in works of the last period of his life which was not a subject of sufficient attention for the preceding authors. As to Hellanicus’ outlook, in religious sphere he was by no means an atheist or skeptic, but his beliefs were already accompanied by a certain degree of rationalist criticism. For a judgment on his political views, there are only very scanty and, moreover, mostly indirect data. If we proceed from them, the historian may be characterized as an opponent rather than supporter of radical democracy of the type, which existed in Athens during the Peloponnesian War, when Hellanicus was writing his Atthis, a treatise on Athenian history. It could even be that he voluntarily or under compulsion left his home town of Mytilene, when an oligarchic regime there was replaced by a democratic one. The article analyzes the system of views of Hellanicus of Lesbos on the basis of the preserved corpus of texts.
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About the Author
I. E. SurikovRussian Federation
Igor E. Surikov, Dr. of Sci. (History), professor
32a, Leninskiy Av., Moscow, 119334;
6, Miusskaya Sq., Moscow, 125047
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Supplementary files
For citation: Surikov I.E. Some features to characterization of Hellanicus of Lesbos’ outlook. RSUH/RGGU Bulletin: “Literary Teory. Linguistics. Cultural Studies”, Series. 2024;(4):12-29. https://doi.org/10.28995/2686-7249-2024-4-12-29
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