Historie
Encyclopedia
is a historical
manga by Hitoshi Iwaaki that tells the life story of Eumenes
, a secretary and general to Alexander the Great. It is serialized by Kodansha
in Afternoon
, and collected in 6 tankōbon
volumes as of June 2010.
Eumenes
Charon
Hieronymus (the Elder)
Hieronymus (the Younger)
Tolmides
Satura
Perialla
Thrax
Theogeiton
Memnon
Hermias
Aristotle
Barsine
Philip II of Macedon
in the monthly seinen (aimed at younger adult men) manga magazine Afternoon
since the March 2003 issue. As of June 2010, 60 chapters have been serialized, 57 of which have been collected in 6 tankōbon
volumes.
and is also awarded the grand prize for the manga division in the 2010 Japan Media Arts Festival
.
Historical fiction
Historical fiction tells a story that is set in the past. That setting is usually real and drawn from history, and often contains actual historical persons, but the principal characters tend to be fictional...
manga by Hitoshi Iwaaki that tells the life story of Eumenes
Eumenes
Eumenes of Cardia was a Thracian general and scholar. He participated in the wars of the Diadochi as a supporter of the Macedonian Argead royal house.-Career:...
, a secretary and general to Alexander the Great. It is serialized by Kodansha
Kodansha
, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...
in Afternoon
Afternoon (magazine)
is a Japanese seinen manga magazine published by Kodansha. It is a monthly anthology, and each issue typically has around thirty ongoing stories by various authors and runs about 800 pages...
, and collected in 6 tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
volumes as of June 2010.
Story
The story begins with Hermias, one of Aristotle's disciples, being tortured and interrogated in Assus, a town on the western edge of the Persian empire. He is confronted by a Persian commander, Memnon, who questions him if his teacher is really worth dying for. The story then skips ahead a few day to the ruins of Troy, where Aristotle, one of his disciples, and a slave find Eumenes in a boat attempting to make oars. They spend the night there, talking about various subjects such as philosophy and slavery and leave the next morning. Eumenes is then visited by a Persian named Barsine, who questions him about his visitors the previous night. He claims that he hasn't seen the people she's asking him about and she goes back to her escort of horsemen and leaves. Soon after, Aristotle and his student come running towards Eumenes chased by the horsemen who visited shortly before this and they immediately take off, narrowly escaping capture. Barsine is then met by Memnon and states "the next person to come over this channel probably isn't going to be a philosopher." Eumenes and his company are met by a horse drawn cart on the other side that was waiting for Aristotle. Eumenes find that they are both heading towards Cardia, but the people in the cart refuse to take Eumenes there, stating that a slave can walk. When Eumenes reaches Cardia, he finds the town surrounded by a Macedonian army, consisting of two columns of Hoplites circling the city. He notices the commander of the army right away, and ponders about the peculiarity of the situation, and then proceeds to greet an old lady waiting outside of the town. Eumenes develops a plan to carry the old lady across the column of Hoplites on his shoulders, claiming that this would show the old lady's status. Afterward they find that town guards won't open the gate to let them in the city. Another group of people consisting of a man named Antigonus and two other men come running through the columns. Eumenes eventually develops a plan to repeatedly shout out that, "his master's remains had to be returned into the city" in front of the Macedonian army. His plan works and the group is allowed in the city shortly afterward. Inside the city, Antigonus asks Eumenes to meet him in three days. He then goes to the ruins of his old house and the story goes into a flashback, showing his childhood, how he left Cardia, his early adventures, and his first war in Paphlagonia.Main characters
Historie portrays many historical characters who actually existed in ancient Greece and Persia.Eumenes
Eumenes of Cardia was a Thracian general and scholar. He participated in the wars of the Diadochi as a supporter of the Macedonian Argead royal house.-Career:...
- An intelligent young boy from CardiaCardiaThe cardia is the anatomical term for the part of the stomach attached to the esophagus. The cardia begins immediately distal to the z-line of the gastroesophageal junction, where the squamous epithelium of the esophagus gives way to the columnar epithelium of the gastrointestinal tract.Just...
who has been troubled with a bad dream of a woman killing soldiers since childhood. Much of his past is revealed during the series: he is, in truth, a Scythian, but is adopted by Hieronymus when his own family was massacred in a Greek slave raid. After a relatively happy childhood in Cardia, the events following Scythian slave Thrax's escape resulted in Hieronymus' death and the revelation of Eumenes' Scythian heritage, making him a slave. He was sold and shipped off Cardia, but soon after the slaves on the ship he is in mutinied before being sunk in a storm. Shipwrecked, Eumenes found himself on the shores of PaphlagoniaPaphlagoniaPaphlagonia was an ancient area on the Black Sea coast of north central Anatolia, situated between Bithynia to the west and Pontus to the east, and separated from Phrygia by a prolongation to the east of the Bithynian Olympus...
, near the village of Boa, where he spent the rest of his childhood teaching its villagers in the ways of the Greeks, while becoming accepted as one of their own in the meantime. This quiet life was interrupted when a mercenary army from the nearby Greek city of Tios attacked the village.
Charon
- A slave in the Hieronymus household and Eumenes' personal attendant ("pedagogue" in the original sense of the word). He gives Eumenes an amulet that belongs to Eumenes' mother before the latter leaves Cardia. It is revealed in a flashback that he is, despite his denial to Eumenes, actually present in the incident of Eumenes' mother's death, and is in fact responsible for her downfall by holding young Eumenes hostage.
Hieronymus (the Elder)
- At first appears to be Eumenes' father. However, it is later revealed that he actually adopts him after killing all of Eumenes' native family during a slave raid he led. (However, Hironymus himself did not commit this affair, but his subordinates.) Considered to be killed by Thrax during the latter's attempted escape, though another person actually appears to be responsible for the crime.
Hieronymus (the Younger)
- Hieronymus's son who is jealous of Eumenes in his childhood due to the Eumenes' superior intelligence and skills and his father's apparent favoritism. However, when Eumenes is sold as a slave, it is revealed that most of the information known about Eumenes' life came from Hieronymus, implying that Hieronymus truly cares about Eumenes, deep down.
Tolmides
- A childhood friend of Eumenes. Is seen serving in Cardia's militia when Eumenes returns to the city.
Satura
- Villager of Boa and initially hostile yet curious of Eumenes. As he begins to adapt to life in Boa they grew more and more attached even though it is revealed that she is already betrothed to the next head of the city Tios. After the engagement is broken off due to war she becomes Eumenes lover. However in order to save the village from being destroyed, Eumenes (when found out by the next heir of Tios that he was responsible for the battle) pretends that he was having a personal agenda and didn't care about the villagers at all making him an enemy and also giving up Satura to be Telemakos bride to save the lives of the town. She follows along, yet is heartbroken.
Perialla
- A childhood friend of Eumenes who appears to be attracted to him at first. When Eumenes becomes a slave, she treats him with hostility.
Thrax
- A Scythian slave. Appears to have recognized Eumenes as a fellow Scythian. During the series, he breaks free and attempts to escape Cardia, killing many of the city's militia and citizens in the process. During a fight in the marketplace, he comes in close contact with Eumenes but does not kill the latter, leading the citizens of Cardia to suspect Eumenes. He is eventually mortally wounded, though apparently died only after attempting to follow Eumenes somewhere.
Theogeiton
- A loan shark who owns the slave Thrax; known for his brutal treatment of his slaves. When Thrax is released from the shackles that binds his arms and leg, he and his entire family are killed.
Memnon
Memnon of Rhodes
Memnon of Rhodes was the commander of the Greek mercenaries working for the Persian king Darius III when Alexander the Great of Macedonia invaded Persia in 334 BC. He commanded the mercenaries at the Battle of the Granicus River, where his troops were massacred by the victorious Macedonians...
- A commander of the Greek mercenaries working for the Persians chasing after AristotleAristotleAristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
. First seen in Assus, then a part of the Persian EmpireAchaemenid EmpireThe Achaemenid Empire , sometimes known as First Persian Empire and/or Persian Empire, was founded in the 6th century BCE by Cyrus the Great who overthrew the Median confederation...
while interrogating HermiasHermias of AtarneusHermias of Atarneus , who lived in Atarneus, was Aristotle's father-in-law.The first mention of Hermias is as a slave to Eubulus, a Bithynian banker who ruled Atarneus. Hermias eventually won his freedom and inherited the rule of Atarneus...
, AristotleAristotleAristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
's father-in-law, in an attempt to track down the philosopher.
Hermias
Hermias of Atarneus
Hermias of Atarneus , who lived in Atarneus, was Aristotle's father-in-law.The first mention of Hermias is as a slave to Eubulus, a Bithynian banker who ruled Atarneus. Hermias eventually won his freedom and inherited the rule of Atarneus...
- Aristotle's father-in law; an Eunuch. First seen chained up in Assus. Even under intense interrogation, he refuses to say anything about the teacher Aristotle.
Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
- A world renowned philosopher. At the start of the series, he is being chased by the Persian Empire on suspicion of spying. Along with one of his students, CallisthenesCallisthenesCallisthenes of Olynthus was a Greek historian. He was the son of Hero and Proxenus of Atarneus, which made him the great nephew of Aristotle by his sister Arimneste. They first met when Aristotle tutored Alexander the Great...
, and the slave Victas, he first meets Eumenes near the ruins of TroyTroyTroy was a city, both factual and legendary, located in northwest Anatolia in what is now Turkey, southeast of the Dardanelles and beside Mount Ida...
while in need of a boat to cross the DardanellesDardanellesThe Dardanelles , formerly known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with its counterpart the Bosphorus. It is located at approximately...
. Because Eumenes has not yet finished building his improvised oar, he spend the night camping and conversing with the latter over various subjects, and becomes impressed by the latter's intelligence. The day after that, he, Callisthenes, and Eumenes escapes the Persians in the nick of time, landing in Europe, all headed to Cardia (though Eumenes is left behind).
Barsine
Barsine
Barsine was daughter of Artabazus, satrap of Hellespontine Phrygia, and wife of Mentor of Rhodes and after his death, Mentor's brother, Memnon...
- The wife of the governor of Troius. Is shown to be very intelligent.
Philip II of Macedon
Philip II of Macedon
Philip II of Macedon "friend" + ἵππος "horse" — transliterated ; 382 – 336 BC), was a king of Macedon from 359 BC until his assassination in 336 BC. He was the father of Alexander the Great and Philip III.-Biography:...
- The king of Macedonia. Introduced in the story claiming to be Antigonus,a merchant from Perinthus, coming to Cardia to look for Hieronymus (the Younger). First meets Eumenes outside the gates of Cardia. Impressed by the latter's performance in gaining entrance to the city, he impetuously asks Eumenes to come and work for him.
Manga
Historie is written and illustrated by Hitoshi Iwaaki. It has been serialized by KodanshaKodansha
, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...
in the monthly seinen (aimed at younger adult men) manga magazine Afternoon
Afternoon (magazine)
is a Japanese seinen manga magazine published by Kodansha. It is a monthly anthology, and each issue typically has around thirty ongoing stories by various authors and runs about 800 pages...
since the March 2003 issue. As of June 2010, 60 chapters have been serialized, 57 of which have been collected in 6 tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
volumes.
Reception
The Mainichi newspaper calls Iwaaki's vision of Eumenes' past (which, historically, is largely a mystery) "Bold and unique." Jason Thompson, one of the best-known manga critics in the United States, says that in terms of scale, ambition, and plotting, Historie is the author's masterpiece. The manga was a finalist for the 10th Osamu Tezuka Culture AwardOsamu Tezuka Culture Award
Named after Osamu Tezuka, the is a yearly comic book prize awarded to manga artists or their works that follow the Osamu Tezuka manga approach founded and sponsored by Asahi Shimbun...
and is also awarded the grand prize for the manga division in the 2010 Japan Media Arts Festival
Japan Media Arts Festival
The Japan Media Arts Festival is an annual festival held by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs since 1997. The festival for a nominal year was usually held during February or March next year, rather than at the end of the nominal year. For instance, the 2010 Japan Media Arts Festival, where...
.