Considérations d’Hérodote sur la loutre, la mangouste-ichneumon et la musaraigne

J. DELHEZ, « Considérations d’Hérodote sur la loutre,  la mangouste-ichneumon et la musaraigne », Res Antiquae 10, Bruxelles, 2013.

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In Herodotus’ second book, claims about Egyptian customs and religion are usually brief and terse. Although many philologists have commented on his writings, comparison with numerous and diverse Egyptian sources may provide a new perspective on these claims. Three statements on three Egyptian sacred animals (the otter, the ichneumon and the shrew) can not only determine the degree of veracity of Herodotus’ writings (which can rarely be summarized as simply being “true” or “false”), but also provide new indications as to his travels: the way Herodotus speaks of local cults may help establish which cities he is likely to have or not to have visited. Once the Egyptian facts have been determined, the magnitude of the discrepancies between these facts and Herodotus’ claims can give us an interesting insight on the attitude of the Greek historian, and if his word is incorrect, on why he truncated or distorted reality.

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