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Histories · Theme
Cultural Relativism and Ethnography
How Histories develops Cultural Relativism and Ethnography.
Herodotus extensively describes the customs, beliefs, and practices of various peoples (Egyptians, Scythians, Thracians, Persians), often comparing them to Greek ways and noting that each culture considers its own customs best.
Where it surfaces
- Book II: Euterpe
Herodotus compares Egyptian and Greek customs, such as calendar reckoning, and records diverse cultural practices and beliefs.
- Book III: Thaleia
Darius's experiment with Greek and Callatian funeral customs demonstrates that each people believes its own customs are best, illustrating the theme of cultural relativism.
- Book V: Terpsichore
Herodotus describes Thracian customs, including mourning at birth, rejoicing at death, polygamy, and tattooing as marks of nobility.