The stream of Time, irresistible, ever moving, carries off and bears away all things that come to birth and plunges them into utter darkness, both deeds of no account and deeds which are mighty and worthy of commemoration; as the playwright [Sophocles] says, it 'brings to light that which was unseen and shrouds from us that which was manifest.' Nevertheless, the science of History is a great bulwark against this stream of Time; in a way it checks this irresistible flood, it holds in a tight grasp whatever it can seize floating on the surface and will not allow it to slip away into the depths of Oblivion..I, having realized the effects wrought by Time, desire now by means of my writings to give an account of my father's deeds, which do not deserve to be consigned to Forgetfulness nor to be swept away on the flood of Time into an ocean of Non-Remembrance; I wish to recall everything..Anna Comnena
About This Quote
In this quote from the autobiography of Pericles of Athens, we see an early example of how history is a method of recording the past that is not only used for the purpose of preserving our culture, but also to understand that which has been passed down. The concept of writing history is one that is applied to the study of the past to preserve information and facts about events and people. In this quote, it can be seen that a "history" is a method used by a person to create a record of his or her life by creating a biography or autobiography.
Source: The Alexiad
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