Treść książki

Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
Homicideandaggressioninthehistoryofmankind
27
dynamicfunctions,alwaysaimsatdescribingpsychologicalfactorscrucialto
thegenesisofthehomicide,irrespectiveofthetimeinwhichitwascommitted.
Intheindividualandthecollectiveexperience,thesameclustersofmotives
andemotionsarestillfoundtouching:pain,suffering,fear,misery,anguish,
retributionandrevenge.
Theaboveanalysispresentedindetailthemotivesthatdroveindividualbibli-
calwomen,anddelineatedthecharacteristicfeaturesoftheirpersonality.Italso
showedhowthebiblicalauthors,bytheimbalancedmannerinwhichtheypre-
sentedtheirpositiveandnegativefeatures,madewomenblamedfor,andguilty
ofviolence.Suchattitudesindicateanunequaltreatmentofwomenthat,despite
thepassageoftime,bringstomindtheirpresentsituation.
1.6Warfare,womenandmalemurderers
intheancientworldofHerodotus
Thepersonalitiesofmurderersandmurderesses,aswellasattemptsatex-
plainingandunderstatingthemotivationoftheiractions,weretheobjectofstudy
ofmanyahistorianandartist,andfoundtheirreflectioninartandliterature.
Theirmotives,betheyreligious,politicalorother,likejealousyorrevenge,were
especiallyfascinating.Inthecaseofmurderesses,theirbeautyandthirstfor
powerwerealsoofinterest,aswellasthewarsfoughtoverwomenandmurders
committedbywomen.Somesourcesexceptionallyvividlypresentthemotiva-
tionforhomicidesandthepersonalitiesoftheirperpetrators.
HerodotusofHalicarnassuswasoneofthosewhoanalysedthereasonsfor
warfareandaggression,whichheexpresslyassertedattheverybeginningofhis
work:“ThesearetheresearchesofHerodotusofHalicarnassus,whichhepub-
lishes,inthehopeoftherebypreservingfromdecaytheremembranceofwhat
menhavedone,andofpreventingthegreatandwonderfulactionsoftheGreeks
andtheBarbariansfromlosingtheirduemeedofglory;andwithaltoputon
recordwhatweretheirgroundsoffeuds”(Herodotus,BookI)2.
HerodotustellsusthataccordingtothePersians,whoarebestinformedon
history,thefirsttostartafeudwerethePhoenicians,whowenttotheGreekcity
ofArgosandabductedIo,daughterofInachus,sailingwithhertoEgypt.This
2ThisandotherquotationsarefromTheHistorybyHerodotus,translatedbyGeorgeRawlinson,
TheInternetClassicsArchive,http://classics.mit.edu/Herodotus/history,withtheexceptionofthe
twoquotationsonQueenTomyris,ProjectGutenberg,www.gutenberg.org/catalog/world/
readfile?pageno=68&fk_files=1049535,bothaccessedon10thJuly2010(translator’snote).