Thread 24732660

>>24732660 (OP)
It was outdated back then already.

>>24732673
I recently got duped into watching a great courses lecture on Mesopotamia, in which the “modern historian” suggests that King Ashurbanipal of Assyria was only literate because his wife compelled him to be. I want a non-pozzed source of history, even if it’s not fully accurate. Herodotus will always be relevant even though much of what he has to say is fable.

>>24732688
>Herodotus will always be relevant even though much of what he has to say is fable.
Easily one of the greatest filters ever in place. You have never read the 'Histories' at all. This is always a dead give away.

>>24732699
I have. I’ll give an example. Herodotus claimed that when he toured the Great Pyramid, he was told that an inscription described the rations given to the workers, the bread/beer/onions. This is obviously a lie, no Pharaoh had ever, or would ever, erect a stela declaring the food he had offered to laborers, certainly not outside of a temple, certainly not in front of his tomb, and certainly not in the Old Kingdom when there were no inscriptions in or around the Pyramids. This was false information fed to him by a tour guide who was either making things up, or had misinterpreted something.
Herodotus’ lies aren’t a result of him being a bad researcher, but rather his sources being unreliable on occasion.

>>24732688
>even though much of what he has to say is fable.

>>24732762
>he was told
>This was false information fed to him by a tour guide who was either making things up
>Herodotus’ lies aren’t a result of him being a bad researcher, but rather his sources being unreliable on occasion.

Lol.

> he was told that an inscription described the rations given to the workers, the bread/beer/onions. This is obviously a lie, no Pharaoh had ever, or would ever, erect a stela declaring the food he had offered to laborers, certainly not outside of a temple, certainly not in front of his tomb, and certainly not in the Old Kingdom when there were no inscriptions in or around the Pyramids.
And you know this how?

Easy 4k exposed.
>Hmm, I will write this down, even though I don't believe, yet I will let the reader decide.
>DUDE HE IS A FABLE WRITER DUDE HE IS JUST LIKE FABLE MATRIXING IT UP! LE HECKIN!
Lol, like I said, one of the greatest filters ever.

>>24732660 (OP)
Unlike seemingly everyone else in this thread, I have actually read the first two of his series and own all the rest besides the Age of Reason.
Yes, it is absolutely worth reading, he writes with excellent prose, and gives a detailed, lifelike picture of the cultures he writes about. While new advances in archeology and historical analysis have provided some evidence which contradict specific points here and there, on the whole it is still quite accurate historically speaking, especially considering its sheer scale. Also, while there have been advances in archeology and whatnot, much of the advances made in history specifically since the writing of these books have been historiographical or philosophical in nature, and thus don't necessarily disprove his work, just draw different conclusions from similar evidence. But yeah, definitely worth a read, the chapter on Crete in the Life of Greece and Egypt in Oriental Heritage were my favourite sections.

>>24732660 (OP)
>read
idk but they're worth listening to
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLax23j-7EInW5aUHMjTqQ3uzs5rE0WP64

>>24732979
>And you know this how?
Because there is absolutely zero corroborating evidence of a Pharaoh ever doing this, ever. Herodotus’ tour would’ve been taking place nearly three thousand years AFTER Khufu lived. No one else, in history, Egyptian or otherwise, has ever corroborated the story. It’s patently false.
>”I will let the reader decide”
Lmao what a fucking cope. You can say this literally about anything. Napoleon was Polish, actually. No, I’m not lying, I’ll let the READER decide, haha!

>>24732660 (OP)
I only read the Rousseau volume and thought it was great. I'm a big fan of his book The Lessons of History

It’s worth reading with the caveat that Duran often relies on primary sources without the skepticism of an historian. So there is a significant amount of nonsense in his work but it’s nonsense from primary sources, not his imagination

>>24732660 (OP)
I love it but I would skip the first volume unless you like cavemen and asians/middle easterners, even then, the volume was published in 1935 and I guess at that point there wasnt that much chinese/japanese history information available in english so its rather lacking

>>24733215
His sections on their art and literature are good

>They also left notes behind for a 12th volume, The Age of Darwin, as well as an outline of a 13th volume, The Age of Einstein, which would have taken The Story of Civilization to 1945.
>we will never get to read these

these actually made me emotional

There is a pretty solid biography of Napoleon contained in this book.

I really liked them.

>>24733240
KINO

>>24732660 (OP)
>history
It isn't history.

Durant was an Indophile. So skip!

>>24732660 (OP)
No. It's too broad and doesn't actually cite anything. Durant isn't above lying to make a story sound better either. If you want to read about certain periods you're better off picking up a dedicated general overview, it could have been written a century ago and it would still be better.

>>24734036
>Durant isn't above lying to make a story sound better either
based, I will now read his book

>>24734036
>doesn't actually cite anything

>>24733077
This anon is correct. It inhabits a similar niche as The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire. Has some of it become outdated and disproven, yes. But I could still recommend it to any budding historian who wants to get something more than just an overall decent historical study, they also need to flame their passion for the subject. I've had conversations where Durant or Herodotus are referred to as a personal friend. This is only half a joke, Durant loves knowledge, loves history, and loves that you're reading his work. The series remains an excellent stop if you want a grand tour of history.

>>24734133
What Gibbon and Durant lack in absolute historical accuracy they make up for with their souls

>>24734215
Embarrassing

>>24734243
You're embarrassing, faggot

>>24734133
>The series remains an excellent stop if you want a grand tour of Septic Imperialist Fantasy.

The Greeks are the Elves!

>>24732979
>tranime

>>24734036
>doesn't actually cite anything

Bruh…there are pages and pages and pages of numbered citations in every volume

Peter Watson is the only historian—obv excluding Herodotus and Thucydides and Gibbon, and those old works on that level—that you need if you only want a popular big history overview.

>>24732660 (OP)
It's not outdated. It's great and anyone telling you otherwise is a pseud who likely can't even put together a 4.0 level 12 page undergrad paper.

>>24732979
You sound insufferable

>>24733098
>Napoleon was Polish, actually
You are living in a world where facts like this are easily confirmed. Herodotus was not.

>>24736460
>Herodotus and Thucydides and Gibbon
Are not post-Rankean, so it makes me suspect that on reading Watson P will neither be a historian.

>>24733215
Actually I thought the chapters on India and China were great introductions. Even the bibliography, outdated as it is, contains numerous hidden gems

>>24733238
>>24733240

>>24732688
Maybe that historian has good reasons to think that that's true. To read history just to affirm your own epic trad worldview seems like exercise in deliberate ignorance

>>24736829
>chapters
300 pagers each. It really is a monumental work.

>>24736838


"MAYBE HE'S A SHIT CUNT"
So are you.

>>24736852
I too hope that you will grow up some day

>>24736833
Check my dubs, faggots

>mfw I have the entire set
>from different prints
>sizes don't match

Is it better to read this series and fill in the gaps/shortcomings with modern works, such as more Asian history or blatant inaccuracies, or just skip this set and read random books chronologically?

>>24736833
Oh no, you have to drink shit from your own toilet, what the fuck will you do not being able to drink someone else's shit???

>>24732660 (OP)
The Life of Greece, The Renaissance, The Age of Louis XIV and The Age of Napoleon are all excellent narratively.

>>24732660 (OP)
The series is superior to most modern history books.