How barbarian were the barbarians? The image of the other in Hellenistic historiography.

The Greeks considered all non-Greek speaking peoples barbarians. This dichotomy defined Greek ethnicity by opposition with the other and asserted their own superiority; the trauma of the Persian Wars was an important moment in the development of this opposition. The representation of the barbarian in Greek historiography of the fifth and fourth centuries BC, as well as by Roman historians has often been studied. My study aims to remedy the scholarly neglect of the issue in Hellenistic historiography (late fourth - first century BC). History writing greatly flourished in Hellenistic period, the contacts between Greeks and others increased and the Greeks were now the master of their traditional Persian enemy due to Alexander the Greats conquest of the East. It is therefore highly relevant to ask how Hellenistic historians presented the barbarian and how strict the dividing line was between Greeks and barbarians. I will also analyze how this representation was influenced by the changed socio-political situation, and whether this situation led to a more empirical approach in describing barbarian peoples, or whether ideological stereotyping actually increased. The research will thus contribute to our knowledge of intercultural contacts at the time, and of the still often neglected Hellenistic historians.

Keywords:Greeks and Barbarians, Intercultural relations, Hellenistic period, Ancient historiography

Disciplines:History