Overview

In this volume an international group of scholars revisits the themes of John Marincola's ground-breaking Authority and Tradition in Ancient Historiography. The nineteen chapters offer a series of case studies that explore how ancient historians' approaches to their projects were informed both by the pull of tradition and by the ambition to innovate.

Key Themes

The key themes explored are the relation of historiography to myth and poetry; the narrative authority exemplified by Herodotus, the father of history; the use of fictional literary devices in historiography; narratorial self-presentation; and self-conscious attempts to shape the historiographical tradition in new and bold ways.

Volume Significance

The volume presents a holistic vision of the development of Greco-Roman historiography and the historian's dynamic position within this practice.