Online Encyclopedia

LOGOGRAPHI (X&yos, ypiic/w, writers o...

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V16, Page 919 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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LOGOGRAPHI (X&yos, ypiic/w, writers of
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prose histories or tales)
  , the name given by
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modern scholars to the Greek historiographers before Herodotus.l Thucydides, however, applies the
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term to all his own predecessors, and it is therefore usual to make a distinction between the older and the younger logographers . Their representatives, with one exception, came from
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Ionia and its islands, which from their position were most favour-ably situated for the acquisition of knowledge concerning the distant countries of East and West . They wrote in the Ionic dialect, in what was called the unperiodic style, and preserved the poetic character of their epic model . Their criticism amounts to nothing more than a crude attempt to rationalize the current legends and traditions connected with the founding of cities, the genealogies of ruling families, and the manners and customs of individual peoples . Of scientific criticism there is no trace whatever . The first of these historians was probably
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Cadmus of Miletus (who lived, if at all, in the early
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part of the 6th century), the earliest writer of
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prose, author of a
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work on the founding of his native city and the colonization of Ionia (so Suidas); Pherecydes of Leros, who died about 400, is generally considered the last . Mention may also be made of the following: Hecataeus of Miletus (550–476); Acusilaus of
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Argos,2 who paraphrased in prose (correcting the tradition where it seemed necessary) the genealogical
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works of
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Hesiod in the Ionic dialect; he
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con-fined his attention to the prehistoric period, and made no attempt at a real
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history;
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Charon of
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Lampsacus (c . 450), author of histories of
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Persia,
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Libya, and Ethiopia, of annals (ibpor) of his native
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town with lists of the prytaneis and archons, and of the chronicles of Lacedaemonian kings; Xanthus of
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Sardis in
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Lydia (c . 450), author of a history of Lydia, one of the chief authorities used by Nicolaus of
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Damascus (fl. during the time of Augustus);
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Hellanicus of Mytilene; Stesimbrotus of
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Thasos, opponent of Pericles and reputed author of a
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political pamphlet on Themistocles, Thucydides and Pericles; Hippys and Glaucus, both of Rhegium, the first the author of histories of Italy and Sicily, the second of a
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treatise on ancient poets and musicians, used by Harpocration and Plutarch; Damastes of Sigeum, pupil of Hellanicus, author of genealogies of the combatants before Troy (an ethnographic and statistical list), of short
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treatises on poets, sophists, and
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geographical subjects . On the early Greek historians, see G . Busolt, GriechischeGeschichte (1893), i . 147-153; 'C .

Wachsmuth, Einleitung in das Studium der alten Geschichte (1895); A . Schafer, Abriss der Quellenkunde der griechischen and romischen Geschichte (ed . H . Nissen, 1889) ; J . B . Bury, Ancient Greek Historians (1909), lecture i.; histories of Greek literature by Muller-Donaldson (ch . 18) and W . Mute (bk, iv. ch . 3), where the little that is known concerning the
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life and writings of the logographers is exhaustively discussed . The fragments will be found, with Latin notes,
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translation, prolegomena, and copious indexes, in C . W . Mailer's Fragmenta historicorum Graecorum (1841–1870) .

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GREECE: History, Ancient (section, " Authorities ") . 1 The word is also used of the writers of speeches for the use of the contending parties in the law courts, who were forbidden to employ advocates . 1 There is some doubt as to whether this Acusilaus was of Beloponnesian or Boeotian Argos . Possibly there were two of the name . For an example of the method of Acusilaus see Bury, op. cit. p . 19 .

End of Article: LOGOGRAPHI (X&yos, ypiic/w, writers of prose histories or tales)
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