Much of Roman and Greek history can be corroborated by archaeology and  
multiple independent written sources. If you have ever played the game  
ghost you know how badly and oral story can be mangled. Yes there is  
usually a nugget of truth in oral history, but it is not FACT. It  
mutates over time. This happens with written sources as well, which is  
why one wants as many as possible. And yes authors have biases, which  
also colors what they write, but...

On Oct 20, 2008, at 9:00 PM, Anne Pemberton wrote:

> I am beginning to wonder if Ancient Greece and Rome actually  
> existed, as they have been painted by historians, in view of the  
> paucity of irreproachable information that exists on either of them.
>
> Yet, in stating that the Romans overindulged, for example, our feet  
> are not held to the fire to prove that overconsumption existed, was  
> common, or happened only on exceedingly rare occasions.
>
> I wonder why we can say with certainty what life was like in ancient  
> Rome or Greece, yet cannot accept facts passed down a mere two  
> hundred years.
>
> Anne
>
> Anne Pemberton
> [log in to unmask]
> http://www.erols.com/apembert
> http://www.educationalsynthesis.org
> ______________________________________
> To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the  
> instructions at
> http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html

______________________________________
To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at
http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html