Herodotus, in his book The History, tells us a good deal about how, in the course of the 5th Century, the Greeks came to define themselves by casting "barbarians" as a negative foil for those traits which they admired in themselves. By “barbarians”, Herodotus means the “Others”, those who were not Greek or European. The Persian Wars marked something of a watershed in this regard. Prior to the 480s the Greek view of their eastern …showed first 75 words of 1326 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1326 total…at the discussion of strategies before battle. But these instances are few. Therefore, Herodotus theory is that any non-Greek will act in a manner that is in contrast of that of a Greek behavior in the same situation. The Greek pattern is considered superior. For these reasons the West-Greece-is thought of as championing the cause of political and individual freedom while the East-Asia Minor is that of being under the slavish rule of Dynastic Kings.