The History and Antiquities of the Doric Race, Vol. 1 of 2Müller, Karl Otfried
History
The History and Antiquities of the Doric Race, Vol. 1 of 2
Müller, Karl Otfried
Dorians -- History; Greece -- Antiquities, Dorian; Greece -- History -- Dorian Invasions, approximately 1125-1025 B.C.
1. “From early times the Dorians and Ionians were the chief races of the
Grecian nation; the latter of Pelasgic, the former of Hellenic origin; the
latter an aboriginal people, the former a people much addicted to
wandering. For the former, when under the dominion of Deucalion, dwelt in
Phthiotis; and in the time of Dorus, the son of Hellen, they inhabited the
country at the foot of Ossa and Olympus, which was called Hestiæotis.
Afterwards, however, being driven from Hestiæotis by the Cadmeans, they
dwelt under mount Pindus, and were called the Macednian nation. From
thence they again migrated to Dryopis; and having passed from Dryopis into
Peloponnesus, they were called the Doric race.”(58)
This connected account cannot be considered as derived immediately from
ancient tradition; but can only be viewed as an attempt of the father of
history to arrange and reconcile various legends. Nor indeed is it
difficult to discover and examine the steps of the argument which led him
to this conclusion. It is clear that he considers the genealogy of
Hellen,(59) viz. that he was the son of Deucalion and father of Dorus,
Xuthus, and Æolus, as an historical fact; although it is at least more
recent than the poems of Homer, where the name of Hellenes does not
include these races, but is the appellation of a single nation in
Phthiotis: and that his object is to establish the position, that the
Dorians were the genuine Hellenes. Now since Deucalion, the father of
Hellen and grandfather of Dorus, was supposed to have dwelt in
Phthiotis,(60) Herodotus represents the Dorians as also coming from
Phthiotis; although the people meant in these legends by the names of
Deucalion and Hellen were the real ancient Hellenes, the Myrmidons,(61)
who were afterwards under the dominion of the Æacidæ,(62) and are entirely
distinct from the Dorians. Dorus was next represented as succeeding Hellen
as king of the same people; and then, since the name of Dorus was in these
fabulous accounts connected with Hestiæotis, he infers that the Dorians
went thither from Phthiotis. But the modern mythologist must of course
abandon this whole deduction as unfounded; and he can only adopt the datum
from which the historian started; namely, that, according to ancient
tradition, “Dorus dwelt at the foot of Olympus and Ossa.” Here then the
real fact presents itself to us. The chain of Olympus, the divider of
nations, whose lofty summit is still called by the inhabitants the
_celestial mansion_, is the place in which the Dorians first appear in the
history of Greece.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account