Points of Argument on the Settlement of Cyrene Essay Example

Points of Argument on the Settlement of Cyrene Essay The subject of â€Å"Tradition† is problematic when regarding historical sources pertaining to archaic Greece. Much of what we know about ancient times comes from literary sources and various inscriptions, such as Herodotus. Having been written by people of the epoch, influenced by oral tradition as well as political and social climates, and not as historical research, these writings should not be taken literally. And some, like Osborne, would say are automatically disqualified as historical evidence. When examining the case of the foundation of Cyrene, we must first assess the quality of our main source of information on the subject Herodotus. Herodotus, who wrote in the 5th century BC, tells us of the stories he had heard from the people of Cyrene and the people of Thera (The claimed Mother-city of Cyrene) regarding the founding of Cyrene. Osborne’s reading of Herodotus’ stories conveys they are not in unison. He claims that the Theran story emphasizes the difficulties they went through and the amount of careful planning put into the founding endeavor, whereas the Cyrenian version tells almost exclusively of their founder and first king, Battos. He explains these differences by looking at the socio-economical climate at the time the text was written. The Therans had an interest to keep their historical links with prosperous Cyrene alive and well, while it was important for the Cyrenian monarchy, the Battiads, to emphasize Battos’ role to legitimize themselves, as well as affirm Cyrene’s independence. It is clear now that these stories were based on each side’s interests and needs, and are selective and exaggerated. 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In example we see that in the combined Theran-Cyrenian version, it is said that all settlers of the first generation were Theran, and that no new settlers arrived for 60 years. This stands in direct conflict with a multitude of archeological and traditional evidence – Including that Polis around Cyrene show signs of settlement already during Cyrene’s first generation of settlers. We also find evidence of Spartan pottery at Taucheira since its first generation that is obviously of too poor a quality to have been imports. Malkin resolves the archeological problem by saying there were many other settlers from all over the Greek world that settled in Cyrene, and over time got blended in and their origins forgotten, a fact revealed by 6th century reforms that divided Cyrenians by their origin. This assimilation process occurred in reaction to the rise of various Polis around Cyrene, forcing them to differentiate themselves by creating a uniform identity as Therans. What we see in this process is that while certain facts may change, a basic frame of the story remains constant. The Sworn Undertaking of the Founders is a document written by the Therans and attributed to before the settlers from Thera set out to Libya, cited by Herodotus during his account of the foundation of Cyrene, and later presented by the Therans to the Cyrenians in the 4th century when coming to claim citizenship. Osborne relates to The Sworn Undertaking of the Founders with skepticism, he claims the text contains many elements which are out of place in an 8th century document, such as the anachronistic approach of sailing â€Å"On equal and fair terms† and the claim to having originated from an assembly at Thera, and questions the text’s authenticity. He states the reason for the Cyrenians willingness to accept this different version of their past as that the now fallen Battiad monarchy had become an embarrassment, and the Cyrenians were happy to adopt a version in which Battos no longer played a major role, and that better fitted their current needs. However, claims Malkin, this analysis relies on the Therans having a fairly vague and short-termed memory of their past, which, as seen by Teuchydides’ story of refugee’s from Epidemnus coming to Corcyra and pointing out their ancestors grave, was not the case as not only oral tradition, but also outside affirmation from visitors helped keep the memory alive. Furthermore, as seen in the story of Cyrene itself as told by Herodotus, already in the 6th century people regarded Thera as the natural home for exiles from Cyrene. As for Battos’ having become an object of embarrassment to the Cyrenians, both the Theran version and the Agreement name Battos as founder and king, and in fact affirm his position as leader on Thera’s authority. Furthermore, it is unlikely that Battos had fallen out of grace with the Cyrenians due to the fall of the monarchy; his grave in the agora was consulted as an Oraculum and ceremonies held near it, regardless of the changing political climate, Battos’ character remained heroic and mythic in the people’s minds and his memory important to the Cyrenians’ collective identity. We also find evidence of the popularity of the Founder’s cult in places such as Gela, where a cup was found with an inscription dedicating it to the city’s founder. What we see through the examples given by Malkin is that tradition isn’t as soluble as it first seems. People have a need for conformity, and look for constants on which to base their personal and collective identity. To that extent we have folk stories, religious beliefs and ceremonies, and various social conformities of thought and behavior, that are passed on and maintain their form if not specifics, in order to retain a cohesive social uniform. In conclusion, there is a certain amount of skepticism with which one must approach the study of tradition in history, and care with which to regard that which we see as fact, however, methodical skepticism is also dangerous, and one must carefully examine and differentiate the mythical from the factual, and the constant from the changing.