A SOURCE-BOOK OF ANCIENT HISTORY BY GEORGE WILLIS BOTSFORD, PH.D. PROFESSOR OF HISTORY IN COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY; AUTHOR OF THE 99.66 ASSEMBLIES, A HISTORY OF GREECE," "A HISTORY OF AUTHOR (WITH G. W. BOTSFORd) of "THE STORY OF ROME AS GREEKS AND ROMANS TELL IT” New York THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 1918 All rights reserved COPYRIGHT, 1912, BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY Set up and electrotyped. Published December, 1912. Reprinted July, December, 1913; December, 1916; July, 1917; March, 1918. PREFACE THIS Volume may be used in connection with any course in Ancient History. It is especially intended, however, to serve as an auxiliary to Botsford's "History of the Ancient World." The material has accordingly been arranged in chapters parallel to those of this text-book, to which references are constantly given. Some of the selections have been translated by friendsespecially by Dr. E. G. Sihler of New York University and Miss Rachel R. Hiller-and others by ourselves; but most of them have been taken from published translations, to which credit is duly given. Particularly in the case of excerpts from translations by scholars of recognized merit, we have followed the policy of making the least possible revision, even to the extent of allowing some inconsistencies in the spelling of proper names. Readers will thus be reminded that the spelling of Greek names is far from being standardized. As to the use of the volume, we advise that the pupils read each chapter in connection with their study of the corresponding chapter of the text-book. The questions, which suggest the more important facts to be gathered from the selections, are to be regarded merely as examples. The teacher may modify or expand them according to the needs of the class. In the case of the more mature pupils, greater attention should be given to a study of the authors and to the critical appreciation of the selections than these illustrative questions indicate. In such work the pupils could advantageously use Murray's "History of Ancient Greek Literature;" Mahaffy's 331405 "History of Classical Greek Literature;" Mackail's "Latin Literature;" Duff's "Literary History of Rome;" Teuffel and Schwabe's "History of Roman Literature;" and the histories of Greece and of Rome by Grote, Curtius, Holm, Mommsen, Duruy, and others. Historical criticism, however, involving the careful weighing of evidence and the valuation of the reliability of authors and documents, is an exceedingly complex and difficult work, which must in the main be reserved for students of University grade. It is to be noticed that the questions rarely call for an expression of opinion as to the right or wrong, the folly or wisdom, of an action. It is true that when an act is obviously right or wrong, the character of the pupil may be strengthened by his being called upon to pronounce judgment; but nothing so conduces to superficial selfsufficiency as the practice of declaring off-hand opinions on subjects but partially and one-sidedly known. The power of discrimination, most essential to a well-developed mind, may be better cultivated by exercise in determining, for instance, what is relevant and what irrelevant to a given subject, what are the facts in the case and what is merely opinion, what are the essential elements of a given subject, and what are its connections with related subjects. In text-books the material is so selected and arranged as to train the memory more than any other mental faculty. The sources, on the other hand, while bringing the reader into close, almost personal touch with the individuals and events treated, have the advantage of presenting a body of raw material, on which the mind. may exercise itself, especially in discrimination. The selections would be robbed of this value by excessive comment and by the elimination of all obscurities, un familiar names, and other difficulties. It will be a great advantage to the pupil to learn by experience that, without being able to pronounce every proper name or to clear up every difficulty in a given passage, he may yet extract useful information from it. With no detriment to himself or to others, he may learn, too, at an early age that neither teacher nor author is omniscient. There are already in existence good source-books for Greece and Rome, to which references are given in Botsford's text-books in ancient history. To those who wish a greater amount of source material on Rome, woven into a connected, readable narrative extending from the founding of the city to the death of Marcus Aurelius, and abounding in interesting sketches of characters and customs, we recommend our "Story of Rome as Greeks and Romans tell it." The present volume may claim the unique merit of rendering Oriental sources available for high-school and college courses in ancient history. It includes, too, certain classes of sources for Greece and Rome not represented in other books of the kind. The aim, however, has been not novelty but usefulness. EXPLANATIONS Greece, Rome, and Ancient World are abbreviated titles of Botsford, History of Greece, History of Rome, and History of the Ancient World, respectively. Words supplied by the editors are enclosed in parentheses. The design on the cover represents a herm of Herodotus now in the Berlin Museum. MOUNT VERNON, New York, GEORGE WILLIS BOTSFORD |