Storytelling & History Writing: Which Came First?

04 September 2006

Dr Valerio Massimo Manfredi

Dr Valerio Massimo Manfredi traces out the interlinked lineage of 'story' and 'history', arguing that the latter became important when societies needed to reinforce collective identities through an authorised version of the past.

Once upon a time people began telling stories. These early tales stuck to the truth, narrating actual events. Soon, storytellers became aware that to hold the attention of their audience they needed to jazz things up with liberal dashes of adventure and wonder. If reality didn’t conform, the truth could be bent to more attractive designs. Dr Manfredi proposes that despite the need for history, the continuation of the storytelling tradition is a testament to the human imagination.

This lecture was presented by the ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences and the Italian Embassy.

Broad Topics: Arts and Social Sciences

Sub-topics: Creative Arts, History & Archeology, Humanities, Society & Culture

Areas: ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences

Dr Valerio Massimo Manfredi is an Italian historian, journalist, TV host and archaeologist. He is the Professor of Classical Archaeology at the University of Milan, a familiar face on European television, and has led scientific expeditions, excavations and explorations in Italy and overseas.

Dr Manfredi has published nine works of fiction, including the phenomenally successful Alexander trilogy, which has been translated into 24 languages in 38 countries. He has written and hosted documentaries on the ancient world, and has written screenplays for cinema and television. A film adaptation of his biggest selling novel, The Last Legion, will be released in January 2007 and will star Colin Firth, Sir Ben Kingsley and John Hannah.

Part of the 2006 Toyota-ANU Public Lecture Series