The ancient Greek historians (Harvard lectures) by J. B. Bury.

2 ANCIENT GREEK HISTORIANS LECT.

~ 1. The historical aspect of the Epics
Long before history, in the proper sense of
the word, came to be written, the early Greeks
possessed a literature which was equivalent to
history for them and was accepted with unreserved
credence-their epic poems. The Homeric lays
not only entertained the imagination, but also
satisfied what we may call the historical interest,
of the audiences who heard them recited. This
interest in history was practical, not antiquarian;
the story of the past made a direct appeal to their
pride, while it was associated with their religious
piety towards their ancestors. Every self-respecting city sought to connect itself, through its
ancient. clans, with the Homeric heroes, and this
constituted the highest title to prestige in the
Greek world. The poems which could confer
such a title were looked up to as authoritative
historical documents. In disputes about territory
the Iliad was appealed to as a valid witness. The
enormous authority of Homer, the deep hold
which the Trojan epics had 'won on the minds
and hearts of the Greeks, may partly explain the
puzzle, why it was so long before it occurred to
them to record recent or contemporary events.
For when we consider the early growth of their
political intelligence, the paucity of their historical
records must strike us with surprise. In the
seventh century they were far advanced in political