A statue of the Greek god, Poseiden
Before history had been firmly established as a field of study, the Greeks used mythology to relay collective memory. Many of these stories were inspired by true events that grew into legend over time.
Just as school children in the United States today learn about the founding fathers, ancient Greeks listened to their Homerian epics. In his book, "Historiography: Ancient, Medieval, and Modern," Gerald Schlabach says “to attempt to live without a memory is to attempt to lose one’s humanity,” and, thus, we learn history today to give the individual a place rooted in their wider society.
Mythology served the same purpose to ancient societies. Today we separate theology from history. In fact, Schlabach makes a point to mention this in the essay on his website when he states “to suggest the ways that God may be involved in human history is to move into theology or philosophy of history. Those are different from the documentary study of history.” However, the ancients did not always see it this way.
Just as school children in the United States today learn about the founding fathers, ancient Greeks listened to their Homerian epics. In his book, "Historiography: Ancient, Medieval, and Modern," Gerald Schlabach says “to attempt to live without a memory is to attempt to lose one’s humanity,” and, thus, we learn history today to give the individual a place rooted in their wider society.
Mythology served the same purpose to ancient societies. Today we separate theology from history. In fact, Schlabach makes a point to mention this in the essay on his website when he states “to suggest the ways that God may be involved in human history is to move into theology or philosophy of history. Those are different from the documentary study of history.” However, the ancients did not always see it this way.
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