The Cyclical Views of Human History in Thucydides'Archaeology and Sima Qian's Historical Records

• 作者: Bai Chunxiao
• 来源期刊: 中国历史学前沿
• 年，卷（期）: 2021,（1）
• 所属期刊栏目: RESEARCH ARTICLES
• 页码范围: 73-95
• 页数: 23页
• 语种: 英文
• DOI: 10.3868/s020-010-021-0004-2

摘要

Many previous thinkers have imagined that there was a glorious or harmonious period in the past better than the world of their own time,but Thucydides and Sima Qian do not describe the early stages of human society as a Golden Age.I suggest that Sima Qian marks a separation between the mythical stories and the historical spirit in China,just as Thucydides did in Greece.Further,they both presented a modified cyclical view of human history.For a better understanding of the basic characteristics of Greek and Chinese historiographies,this paper discusses the cyclical views of human history underlying ancient Greek and early Chinese historiographies through a comparative study of Thucydides'and Sima Qian's texts.I analyze some similarities and differences between the two great historians'conceptions of historical process,and I conclude that Thucydides believes human intelligence develops through a historical spiral,while Sima Qian focuses on dynastic cycles with a strong moral concern.