In the ancient world, communication was minimal, causing contact between nations to be few and far between. For this reason, each nation developed its own view of primacy, immediately avoiding others and valuing itself. The Book of Exodus and the Histories of Herodotus are two of the earliest narratives of this world, telling stories from ancient Greece and ancient Egypt. In these texts, the foreigner and the native are described as the latter having a superiority complex, being physically violent towards the former, but also being, in both cases, self-deprecating; however, in Herodotus' Histories there is a certain form of respect, compassion and curiosity towards the foreigner in the eyes of the natives. Thus, the relationship between the two is a pure rivalry motivated by power, but nonetheless beneficial and sympathetic. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The ancient world bred hostility. Since any other nation could either attack or be part of a vast empire, it was common to see division between different peoples. In Exodus, this division is between the Israelites, the natives, and the Egyptians, who are depicted as foreigners. When Pharaoh refuses to release the people because “he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the Lord predicted” (Exodus 8:15), this diminishes the esteem of the Egyptians as a whole. , implying that they are ignorant and stubborn compared to the Israelites, especially considering the ten plagues. This results in an ambitious relationship aiming to appear better than the other, and these implications are also similar to those described in Herodotus' description of the Egyptians. When, however, a Persian king stabs (what the Egyptians claim to be) a god, this “god” is wounded and he exclaims: “A god like this is truly worthy of the Egyptians!” (Herodotus 3.27). Here the natives claim that they have greater value than the foreigners, claiming that their gods are far more superior and that it should be entirely appropriate for a "weak" god to suit a "weak" people. . This need to present the other as inferior and weaker arises, once again, from the competitive nature of the relationship. From there, blatant insults also arise among these texts. For example, in Herodotus, "[the Egyptians] pervert the truth of history, claiming to be related to the house of Cyrus" (3.3), or in other words, they lie to appear much more important, and in this case, powerful. Another insult raises questions about the honor of foreigners and methods of approaching war, stating that it is "intolerable for a woman to make an expedition against Athens" (8.93). These insults show not only their desire to appear better, but also their desire to defeat the other. Not only are there character insults, but in Exodus the superiority complex of the "chosen people", the Israelites, is evident in the insult of simply not caring about the Egyptians in any form . They have no remorse after Passover, when "there was not a house in which there was not someone dead" (12:30), because there is no definitive reaction written to affirm the opposite. These feelings of believing oneself to be better than one's enemies and having to express it are similar in both texts, revealing a mean-spirited relationship between natives and foreigners. While insults and verbal slights have the effect of demonstrating a relationship of disgust towardsstrangers and desire. to be superior, the relationship between the two is also a relationship of rivalry. The violence between the two groups is comparable between Exodus and Herodotus, illustrating the most physical example. Herodotus writes that "nothing more happened than the kidnapping of women on both sides" (Herodotus 1.3), who were then raped and assaulted in revenge for the attack on the women on both sides, as cause of hatred between Greeks and Greeks. the Persians. This extreme retaliation highlights their rivalry and hatred towards each other, and even more so, contempt, given that they can so easily and heartlessly attack their wives, who are traditionally symbols of vulnerability. In Exodus, the Israelites act in the same way. Even though they are freed from mistreatment in Egypt, they continue to mistreat others. For example, they ultimately succeed in taking Canaan, attacking and pillaging a city after narrowly escaping such behavior. They also, with God's blessing, "plundered Egypt" (Exodus 12:30), illustrating their desire to defeat their enemies. Coming from a nation that treated the Israelites badly to become one who mistreats others is evident, as in Herodotus, of savagery and desire to defeat the other. Although a majority of the relationship is based on hatred, in both texts there is also mention of negativity and dislike for the natives themselves. In a way, the relationship is beneficial because there are small parts in which the natives become aware of some of their faults. In Herodotus there is an open admission that “the Hellenes wage war…without any wisdom” (7.9). This admission perhaps mitigates the blind disgust and mistreatment of foreigners by indicating that the natives partly recognize that their treatment may be unjustified. However, in Exodus, it is God himself who recognizes a fault in the indigenous and supposedly superior people. When the Israelites created a golden calf which they then began to worship, God said to Moses, "Leave me alone so that my anger may be kindled against them and I will destroy them, and I will make you a great nation." » (Exodus 32:10). Because it is God who declares that his own disciples are at fault and should be punished for attempting to attach a physical dimension to him, this reveals a truth and value about the Israelites: that they are not as perfect as they tend to claim it and that they are righteous. as imperfect as their enemies. The inclusion of negative thoughts about the natives themselves is analogous between the two works and thus demonstrates that the relationship is not purely hateful of the other party without reflection on themselves. The only contrast between the depiction of the relationship between natives and strangers in Herodotus and Exodus is that in Herodotus there are occasional expressions of sympathy for the stranger. Just before the events are recounted, Herodotus writes that the book will be composed of "great and marvelous works, which were produced by some Hellenes and others by Barbarians" (1). In this statement there is a recognition of the good in strangers. It can be inferred that this statement also implies at least some ounce of respect, despite other earlier arguments against everything, which differs from Exodus's depiction of a harsher relationship between natives and foreigners. In addition to this inference of respect, there is also a certain amount of curiosity present as well. Herodotus not only explores events in cultures other than his own Greek culture, he does so in a way that is not as judgmental or discriminatory as it is interesting. By describing customs and traditions..