Entre mythe et histoire : la protohistoire d’Athènes et de Sparte dans le Panathénaïque d’Isocrate

Abstract

Abstract : I call protohistory the period between the mythical period and the historical period proper, which begins around 525 BC. In no other preserved discourse of classical Athens does it occupy so much space as in Isocrates’ Panathenaicus. On the basis of introductory reflections on the relationship between myth and history, historicity and historiability, and an overview of classical sources that deal with the same protohistorical episodes as those mentioned in the Panathenaicus, I examine in particular two passages of the speech: Isocrates’ account of the expulsion of the Carians from the islands (§ 43-44) and his methodological reflections on the problematic of historical sources (§ 149-150).

Keywords

• histoire
• Isocrate
• Panathenaicus
• Vérité historique