Some ancient narratives contain remarkably reliable records of real events
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Re: Some ancient narratives contain remarkably reliable records of real events
#2It always amazes me why historians and researchers start with the assumption that any tale from the past is fanciful until proven otherwise. We have little to no proof that our very distant ancestors sat around making up stories for the fun of it and then passing them on to future generations, when they'd surely be more likely to pass on useful information that keeps the tribe alive. Yes there will be embelishments, but we seem to treat everything from before the last couple if hundred years as total lies.
Re: Some ancient narratives contain remarkably reliable records of real events
#3It always amazes me why historians and researchers start with the assumption that any tale from the past is fanciful until proven otherwise. We have little to no proof that our very distant ancestors sat around making up stories for the fun of it and then passing them on to future generations, when they'd surely be more likely to pass on useful information that keeps the tribe alive. Yes there will be embelishments,…
HN, 4 days ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18216459 - Our (most likely) distant ancestor made up a ridiculous story for the fun of it and got it published.
Re: Some ancient narratives contain remarkably reliable records of real events
#4It always amazes me why historians and researchers start with the assumption that any tale from the past is fanciful until proven otherwise. We have little to no proof that our very distant ancestors sat around making up stories for the fun of it and then passing them on to future generations, when they'd surely be more likely to pass on useful information that keeps the tribe alive. Yes there will be embelishments,…
There is a difference between a useful story and a true story. If some distant ancestors sat around making up a story of how women were created from men, then this story was certainly useful to them in some way and reflected their truth (social structure etc.), but it wasn't a true story.
Re: Some ancient narratives contain remarkably reliable records of real events
#5It always amazes me why historians and researchers start with the assumption that any tale from the past is fanciful until proven otherwise. We have little to no proof that our very distant ancestors sat around making up stories for the fun of it and then passing them on to future generations, when they'd surely be more likely to pass on useful information that keeps the tribe alive. Yes there will be embelishments,…
For just one of endless examples, do you believe the ancient Greek gods were real? Some stories may indeed have persisted for millenia. But how does one separate those from the fanciful ones? With corroboration.
Because some are true does not mean all ancient stories and myths are true, and one must be careful to not impute meaning that isn't there, i.e. finding pictures in clouds.
Re: Some ancient narratives contain remarkably reliable records of real events
#6It always amazes me why historians and researchers start with the assumption that any tale from the past is fanciful until proven otherwise. We have little to no proof that our very distant ancestors sat around making up stories for the fun of it and then passing them on to future generations, when they'd surely be more likely to pass on useful information that keeps the tribe alive. Yes there will be embelishments,…
Because most tales humans produce right now are fanciful. People in the past told stories for many reasons, survival being one, fun another, their political conflict being yet another.
But also, I am quite confident contemporary researches don't take old tales as total lies, but neither as total truth.
Re: Some ancient narratives contain remarkably reliable records of real events
#7It always amazes me why historians and researchers start with the assumption that any tale from the past is fanciful until proven otherwise. We have little to no proof that our very distant ancestors sat around making up stories for the fun of it and then passing them on to future generations, when they'd surely be more likely to pass on useful information that keeps the tribe alive. Yes there will be embelishments,…
The ancient Greeks spent a lot of time looking for rational explanations for ancient stories.
Re: Some ancient narratives contain remarkably reliable records of real events
#8Even if the general narrative were completely false in a story, some level of ‘realism’ is an almost absolute requirement for a story to be enjoyed and retold.
Just yesterday, I told my two year old a story about how he was playing in the playground with his best friend T-Rex, collecting acorns, and a family of talking squirrels came down and asked if they could have some, then they invited them up to their treehouse to play.
An absurd story, to be sure, but also — the playground was real, acorns are real, squirrels are real, the fact that my son likes to collect acorns is real. There’s lots of true information available in even deeply silly stories.
Re: Some ancient narratives contain remarkably reliable records of real events
#9Even if the general narrative were completely false in a story, some level of ‘realism’ is an almost absolute requirement for a story to be enjoyed and retold. Just yesterday, I told my two year old a story about how he was playing in the playground with his best friend T-Rex, collecting acorns, and a family of talking squirrels came down and asked if they could have some, then they invited them up to their treehouse…
Wait -- talking squirrels are real? I knew it!
Re: Some ancient narratives contain remarkably reliable records of real events
#10Much younger than the examples in the article, but rather a lot of Beowulf seems to describe real events. I think the Finnburgh Episode, told as a story inside the story, even gets the names right of the actual people involved.