Ecos do Outro: Historiografia, Xenofobia e o Imaginário Grego no Período Clássico

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the construction of classical Greek identity through historical and literary narratives developed in the polis, primarily Athens, during the Greco-Persian Wars. It explores the origins of historiography, highlighting Herodotus and Thucydides, who established different approaches to historical memory, with Herodotus introducing a narrative that blends mythology and reason, and Thucydides establishing a more critical and empirical method. The study also deeply analyzes the construction of identity amid wartime conflicts, presenting the axes of war as catalysts for a Greek collective consciousness, distinguishing Hellenes from barbarians. The tragic works of Aeschylus and festivals like the Great Dionysia are examined as mechanisms for reinforcing Greek ideals and creating a cultural imagination that became evident in metaphors and artistic expressions, underscoring themes of freedom and tyranny. Finally, this study addresses the influence of aristocracy and wealth on political participation to highlight how the Greeks viewed foreigners and how heroic and glorious narratives served to perpetuate a collective Greek identity, constructed in contrast to the “other” and sustained in cultural memory and historical records.