Herodotus and the Birth of Freedom

Liberty in Ancient Greece and Persia

von Matthew K. Reising

216 Seiten, Hardcover

Kurzbeschreibung des Verlags

Herodotus and the Birth of Freedom examines Herodotus' presentation of Persia in the History, arguing that Herodotus considered the Persians to be free rather than slaves and the Persian monarchs to be legitimate kings rather than oppressive tyrants. Matthew K. Reising offers a new interpretation of the History, supported by a variety of textual and archaeological case studies, drawing on research and secondary literature from across a range of disciplines, including comparative political theory, ancient Near Eastern studies, intellectual history and reception studies.

After making the case that Herodotus considered the Persians to be politically free, this book offers a comparative analysis of the diverging conceptions of freedom found in Greece, Persian, Babylonian and Egyptian sources, and argues that the comparison helps us to clarify the relationship of freedom to constitutional self-government, institutional accountability, political participation and civic equality.

• Reihe: Edinburgh Studies in Comparative Political Theory and Intellectual History
• Themen: Gesellschaft und Sozialwissenschaften Politik und Staat Politische Kontrolle, Propaganda und Freiheitsrechte Politische Bildung und Zivilgesellschaft
• ISBN: 9781399558914
• Sprache: Englisch
• Erscheinungsdatum: 31.07.2026
• Größe: 244 x 163 mm
• Verlag: Edinburgh University Press