Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Benjamin of Tudela's account of Baghdad

While describing Constantinople and Baghdad, I feel that Benjamin of Tudela is unbiased. He praises both cities very much, not seeming to have a preference for either one. He had praised Constantinople for its wealth, diversity, and entertainment. Similarly, Benjamin praises Baghdad for its splendid palaces, and righteous caliphs. Because Benjamin praises both cities fairly equally and doesn't seem to have a favored city, I believe that he is an unbiased source of information.

1 comment:

  1. You do want to consider his background and life experiences as you look for issues of bias...think about who was in charge of Spain at the time. Does his religion play a role in what he notices or doesn't notice? It is good to compare the texts, but go deeper than that to consider the author's intent and background.

    ReplyDelete