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The Histories: The Landmark Herodotus

by Herodotus, Andrea L. Purvis (Translator), Rosalind Thomas (Introduction), Robert B. Strassler

3.95 of 5 stars 3.95 · rating details · 13,305 ratings · 486 reviews

From the editor of the widely praised The Landmark Thucydides, a new Landmark Edition of The Histories by Herodotus.Cicero called Herodotus "the father of history," and his only work, The Histories, is considered the first true piece of historical writing in Western literature. With lucid prose, Herodotus's account of the rise of the Persian Empire and its dramatic war wit...more

Hardcover, 944 pages

Published January 21st 2009 by Pantheon (first published -440)

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Jun 23, 2011 Sandy Tjan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, classics, history

What I learned from this book (in no particular order):

1. Ancient Greeks are quarrelsome and love to waste each other’s city-states for the pettiest reasons.

2. From all forms of government known to man, democracy is the best. Tyrants and oligarchs suck.

3. The Persian Empire is a mighty barbarian nation, but being cowardly, effeminate and slavish, it is eventually defeated by the quarrelsome but brave and civilized Greeks.

4. Among the Greeks, the Spartans are the bravest. ~~Gerard Butler with a si~~...more

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Nov 05, 2012 umberto rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ancient-history

I think I'd like to invite my Goodreads friends to browse any Book you like, then take heart to start with Book I as the inception of the whole inquiry unthinkable to those Greek scholars at that time, but Herodotus could make it and you can't help admiring him when you read his famous preamble, "Herodotus of Halicarnassus here displays his inquiry, so that human achievements may not become forgotten in time, and great and marvellous deeds -- some displayed by Greeks, some by barbarians -- may n...more I think I'd like to invite my Goodreads friends to browse any Book you like, then take heart to start with Book I as the inception of the whole inquiry unthinkable to those Greek scholars at that time, but Herodotus could make it and you can't help admiring him when you read his famous preamble, "Herodotus of Halicarnassus here displays his inquiry, so that human achievements may not become forgotten in time, and great and marvellous deeds -- some displayed by Greeks, some by barbarians -- may not be without their glory; and especially to show why the two people fought each other." (p. 4)

This preamble, I think, in the 1970 edition may entice you as well, "HERODOTUS of Halicarnassus, his Researches are here set down to preserve the memory of the past by putting on record the astonishing achievements both of our own and of other peoples; and more particularly, to show how they came into conflict." (p. 41) Moreover, the one in this 1988 edition published by the University of Chicago Press is also interesting, "I, Herodotus of Harlicarnassus, am here setting forth my history, that time may not draw the color from what man has broght into being, nor those great and wonderful deeds, manifested by both Greeks and barbarians, fail of their report, and, together with all this, the reason why they fought one another." (p. 33)

First of all, don't be intimidated by its length, that is, 543 pages in the 1996 Penguin edition, please find any translation you're familiar with its style or wording then keep reading a few pages once in a while, don't hope to finish it in a few days/weeks since it's one of the masterpieces in ancient history, you need time to think, take notes and ask yourself why.

Secondly, this is definitely his magnum opus for posterity of all nations to read, reflect and interpret in terms of reciprocal toleration as fellow human beings so that we learn not to make unthinkable mistakes again. In many engagements there, you can witness various unimaginably ruthless deeds instigated by the powers that be, fate and godlike valour of those true Greek and Persian soldiers. Those fallen heroes including all innumerable soldiers killed in various battles deserve our respect with awe, admiration and gratitude as our exemplary models of humankind.

And finally, scholars should honour and keep him in mind since Cicero called him 'the father of history' and we can enjoy reading his second to none narrative. However, some chapters might not be interesting when he sometime told us about the flora/fauna seemingly unrelated to the looming hostilities. I take them as relaxing moments and we can learn from what he told us frankly and good-humoredly. Those ruthless war scenes, for instance from Chapter 20 onwards in Book IX, are amazingly described to the extent that we can visualize such ruthless gory scenes with increasingly stupefying horror in which it is hopelessly put into words.

That's it and I think I'd reread the University of Chicago version for solace and advice in there whenever I'm free from work. It'd teach us of course to mind our own business, be kind, have mercy towards our fellow colleagues, friends, cousins, etc. since we all have limited time to live on earth.

Note: In fact, I have another Penguin copy with its front cover showing a painted vase depicting two soldiers in action (Persian vs. Greek), not this one so the page numbers as mentioned above may vary. Therefore, I've reposted my review since I don't know how to return to its previous book cover.(less)

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Apr 10, 2009 Trevor rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: history

The kids bought me this for Christmas and it is a thing of infinite beauty. I’ve been meaning to read these histories for years and never quite got around to it. I had never realised quite how remarkable this book would be.

This version of the book is the third that I now own – I’ve also got a copy of the Penguin Classics and I’ve just finished listening to this as a talking book. But I am going to make my way through this book eventually, as it is hard to focus on many of the details of the wars...more

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Jul 07, 2010 Lazarus P Badpenny Esq is currently reading it · review of another edition

Shelves: africa, europa, greece, ideas, journeys, myth, penguin-classics, pre-twentieth-century, the-proper-study-of-mankind, a_history_of_histories, classical-world

"When the moment finally came to declare their purpose, the Babylonians, in order to reduce the consumption of food, herded together and strangled all the women in the city - each man exempting only his mother, and one other woman whom he chose out of his household to bake his bread for him."

As the British Government bludgeons the nation with its ideologically-driven 'Austerity Budget', note that the ancients had a strategy or two for surviving straitened times themselves. And they managed to pr...more "When the moment finally came to declare their purpose, the Babylonians, in order to reduce the consumption of food, herded together and strangled all the women in the city - each man exempting only his mother, and one other woman whom he chose out of his household to bake his bread for him."

As the British Government bludgeons the nation with its ideologically-driven 'Austerity Budget', note that the ancients had a strategy or two for surviving straitened times themselves. And they managed to protect 'front-line' services. Who doesn't like to wake up to the smell of freshly-baked rolls? Now, how does one get one's hands on Theresa May?

"...As for Samos, the Persians took the entire population like fish in a drag-net, and presented Syloson with an empty island. Some years later, however, Otanes contracted some sort of disease of the genital organs and that, in conjunction with a dream he had, induced him to repopulate the place."

Seriously. Wtf?! I mean, who hasn't dreamed of personally repopulating an island [I know I have:], but just how fertile does a guy have to be that an std leaves him debilitated to the degree that he can only re-seed an entire race like some Zeus on the loose? I thought all these dudes preferred boys so what's with that? If I didn't know Herodotus had such a downer on hearsay I'd swear someone was pulling his leg.

"...for I have never heard of a man who after an unbroken run of luck was not finally brought to complete ruin. Now I suggest that you deal with the danger of your continual successes in the following way: think of whatever it is you value most - whatever you would most regret the loss of - and throw it away: throw it right away, so that nobody can ever see it again. If, after that, you do not find that success alternates with failure then go on using the remedy I have advised."

Harsh.

"...He was blind for ten years, after which he received an oracle from the city of Buto to the effect that the time of his punishment being now ended, he would recover his sight, if he washed his eyes with the urine of a woman who had never lain with any man except her husband.

He tried his wife first, but without success - he remained as blind as ever."

Jeez, there has to be an easier way to discover you're a cuckold.(less)

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Dec 08, 2008 Alcyone added it · review of another edition

Shelves: school, histories

I absolutely adore this book! It is among my top favorites. What I'm sure most people identify it with, if they can identify it at all, is the movie 300. Yes, this book does relate the first, true story of the 300 Spartans and not with comic pictures. It is one of my favorite stories in this book (there are many: suicidal cats, burning of Athens, Croesus and Solon, etc.), but it is far from the baseness of the horribly inaccurate movie.

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Oct 18, 2010 Jim rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ancient_greece, history

Although he is the very first historian in Western Civilization, Herodotus has something of a bad reputation for being too gullible. Current critical opinion tends to favor Herodotus's near contemporary, Thucydides, the author of an equally great history of The Peloponnesian War. And yet, as I re-read the earlier book, I was surprised that Herodotus frequently notes that he doesn't always believe what he has been told, but presents it anyhow, if only because the Greek word for "history" is the s...more

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Mar 03, 2008 Todd rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I know I made a New Years resolution to only read economics and personal investing books, but dammit I walked by this on my bookshelf too many times. And I was at Keplers the other day fondling the new Landmark edition (which weighs about 20 times my paperback edition), which got me in the mood for some nutty stories about the ancients.

This is what I call a "Godfather" book because as you read it a lot of cultural references will suddenly make sense. (I didn't watch the Godfather until relativel...more

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Oct 23, 2007 Russell rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I found this book to be totally fascinating. It was wonderful. Herodotus wasn’t just the father of history, but one of the best raconteurs of the ancient world. Oh sure, he sometimes relied on second-hand, third-hand or even fifth-hand accounts but he doesn’t ever try to purposely mislead. Quite often he stresses that the information he is relying could be wrong.

His whole purpose of the book was to tell the story of the Greek-Persian war, but he starts years before then, goes off on side trips t...more

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Oct 02, 2007 Brendan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Hegel and Marx get a lot of credit for changing the way we view the writing of history, and well they should. But Herodotus was highlighting the subjectivity of historical records well before either were born.

Here's a perfect example of how translation really does matter: the Penguin Classics edition of Histories is a very different read from this one. The Oxford translation has more humor, more self-awareness, more of an understanding that even Herodotus doesn't necessarily think what he is rep...more

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Oct 28, 2008 Elaine rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: All Friends

Not for everyone, and even I could read it in chunks, but I loved it. Herodotus, the first historian, eschewed myth, which is why he was the first historian, but he wasn't above gossip and chattiness. This awesome volume has superb maps showing the places being discussed and even the routes taken by people being talked about. The notes are voluminous, and the translation is wonderful. I'm not a classicist, and don't know any Greek, but the classicists I know who do know the original, say it is t...more

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May 24, 2011 Karl Kindt rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: english patient fans

Shelves: 2011

It only took me fourteen years to read it, but I finally finished. I originally picked this up to read because of the reference made to it in THE ENGLISH PATIENT, which at that time was my favorite film ever. I stalled reading it over the years, renewed my interest to continue when Frank Miller published 300, and then once more renewed my interest to continue when 300 the movie came out. It is quite a slog to get through it, but there are bits and pieces of stories too precious to not read this....more

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Sep 19, 2007 Matt Howard rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A truly amazing book to read. Here is a historian 2500 years ago, writing about events that happened hundreds of years before that, making an apparently sincere effort to distinguish between events for which he has some evidence, and those that are mere stories the veracity of which cannot be confirmed. He makes reference to monuments, tombs, and artefacts that "can still be seen to this day" but he is describing things lost to us millenia ago. No educated person should fail to read this classic...more

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May 18, 2013 JP rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's all in here -- facts, battles, espionage, emotion, sex, beauty, culture, religion, and atrocity. The main characters: Xerxes, Cyrus, Darius, Croesus, Solon, Alexander. This is as enjoyable reading as any modern history. In addition to providing the facts, Herodotus conveys the sometimes contemplative nature affecting his choice of what was "worthy to be recorded." The people and events seem very real because he balances major events with everyday details. The latter include the customs of t...more It's all in here -- facts, battles, espionage, emotion, sex, beauty, culture, religion, and atrocity. The main characters: Xerxes, Cyrus, Darius, Croesus, Solon, Alexander. This is as enjoyable reading as any modern history. In addition to providing the facts, Herodotus conveys the sometimes contemplative nature affecting his choice of what was "worthy to be recorded." The people and events seem very real because he balances major events with everyday details. The latter include the customs of the people involved, from their marriage rites to their favorite insults ("worse than a woman" was apparently quite popular with the Persians). Though not the primary theme of the work, I was greatly affected by a number of events that were remarkably comparable to Biblical stories. Assuming we know the earliest writing date, the Old Testament scenarios could at least be claimed as the source for the parallel in other cultures -- not so with New Testament events. Among the examples: parting waters at Thales (Book I, #75); a child to reign unless a king kills him; prophecy and gifts from the Magi (I, #107); a new baby from Petra being the rock that will one day make right the city of Corinth (V, #92); referring to Neptune as the "savior" (VII, #192); the parting of the sea due to an ebb tide that flows back and kills those crossing (VIII, #129); "he who seeks his life will lose it..." (Book VII, #39). We also see similarities related to cultural beliefs and legends: In II, #50-53, Herodotus explains how the Greek god names came from the Egyptian; Egypt had a Helen story; Egypt had a Jupiter; 12 cities (I, #12); Persia named for Perses (son of Perseus) (VII, #61); the sun darkened by arrows (VII, #226); Croesus to be overthrown by a mule (I, #31-#93). Customs: burying alive (Book VII, #114), two different incidents regarding Greeks who didn't make it to the battle in time and were scorned by their countrymen. Herodotus covers more common details: grain boats, dress, marriage, the sick. And he covers epic moments: the 10,000 "immortals," a secret message on the tablet beneath the wax, and uses of water for defense (and turned against). In Book III, #72, Darius provides a very pragmatic stance on lying, claiming that a man lies or tells the truth both for the same purpose of achieving something. In situations where there is no value in maintaining trust, lying is an effective means to an end. Darius is chosen as king by his horse being the first to neigh at a certain point on the trail. Two versions are given of how he made that happen, both involving the scent of a mare. Book IX, #98: "Nothing mortal travels so fast as these Persian messengers. The entire plan is a Persian invention; and this is the method of it. Along the whole line of the road, there are men (they say) stationed with horses, in number equal to the number of days which the journey takes, allowing a man and a horse to each day; and these men will not be hindered from accomplishing at their best speed the distance which they have to go, either by snow, or rain, or heat, or by the darkness of night. The first delivers his dispatch to the second..." In Book VIII, #118, Xerxes and men are crossing in an overloaded boat. The helmsmen mentions the best strategy is to lighten the load. The king's guards jump out. The king reward the helmsman with a crown and beheads him for costing him his men.(less)

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Aug 06, 2011 David Boyce added it · review of another edition

I really enjoyed reading this book. I half expected it to be tedious and difficult to read and that its antiquity would make it inaccessible to me. In the end it turned out to be quite a pleasant read and one that was rich enough with battles and ancient mystery to make the modern day reader willing to put up with the odd difficulty. One of the hardest was to be able to read it smoothly whilst at the same time trying to read the exotic names involved. In the end I started just reading the first...more

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Dec 23, 2008 Damian rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An utterly fascinating tour of the ancient world in a surprisingly accessible style. Herodotus recounts the foundation and rise of the Persian Empire and its eventual conflict with Athens, Sparta and the rest of the Greek world.

Herodotus may be the father of history, but his style is not yet what we would call "scholarly". Rather, the Histories is made up of countless stories of the heroes and villains of his time. Amusingly enough, he always makes clear when a story seems to him less than belie...more An utterly fascinating tour of the ancient world in a surprisingly accessible style. Herodotus recounts the foundation and rise of the Persian Empire and its eventual conflict with Athens, Sparta and the rest of the Greek world.

Herodotus may be the father of history, but his style is not yet what we would call "scholarly". Rather, the Histories is made up of countless stories of the heroes and villains of his time. Amusingly enough, he always makes clear when a story seems to him less than believable, or when multiple versions of a single story exist. There is, therefore, the beginning of a scholarly detachment from his subject matter, but the book is still chock full of fantastical feats, the intervention of gods and barely-justified guesstimations (Xerxes' army was 2.5 million strong, he claims. The modern consensus: 200,000).

Amidst these tales are digressions galore -- sometimes stories are nested within stories, other times, he takes the opportunity of Darius' arrival at a river to tell as about all the various peoples who live along that same river, what they wear, what they eat and how they came to be where they are. These catalogs are without a doubt the driest part of the book -- and can sometimes go on for a long long time. However, it is their methodical and comprehensive nature that makes the Histories a book of history rather than mythology ... and they are easily skipped.

The best part of this book: through all the digressions and catalogs and tales, the overarching story that Herodotus is telling is that of the conflict between Greek democracy and Persian despotism. And perhaps the most shocking aspect of this conflict is the fact that the rhetoric of freedom vs. tyranny, democracy vs. despotism is ANYTHING but new, but has been with us for thousands of years. Some of its passages (about how the threat to freedom must be met head-on, how the free man is stronger than a hundred slaves) could have come straight from George W. Bush's oval office.

Note: the edition I read had a "narrative guide" at the front and several maps of the regions focused on. VERY useful.(less)

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Dec 05, 2012 Paul rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics-ancient-history

This is extraordinary. I'd always thought of it as one of those classic books that, as Twain put it, "one wants to have read, but nobody wants to read."

But it's actually quite a compelling book, and demonstrates exactly why Herodotus is generally considered to be the first real 'historian'. I'd go so far as to say that he might well rank as the first ethnographer as well.

He tells his stories, but expresses skepticism about what he considers fantastical claims, evaluates the reliability of sourc...more

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Nov 11, 2012 Bill added it · review of another edition

I don't know any foreign languages. So when I read a work from a foreign language and culture, I wonder through what lens it is that I'm enjoying or not enjoying that work.

Given that caveat, I enjoyed this book a lot. In many ways, it's alien in style and content. You won't see a lot of distinctions between fact finding and storytelling. Incidents like the Battle of Thermopylae straddle the line between history and myth. The entire book does, really - the latter portions of it less so than the b...more

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Dec 28, 2011 Omar rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Herodotus considered as the father of history. According to modern scholars he was the first to write about events without giving full credit to the supernatural world, a supernatural being such as a god or God. Herodotus writes about events that lead to the Persian -Greek wars in a way as if to demonstrate that events that happens in this world are caused by mankind, not just by supernatural forces that intervene but rather by mankind's decision.
His Histories, is an inquiry of the events that...more

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May 14, 2011 Stephen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Herodotus was two things at once: an inveterate traveler whose "cross-cultural" curiosity knew virtually no limits; and second a historian whose account of the Persian War and how the Greeks withstood and ultimately defeated Xerxes' immense army is a masterpiece. Overarching all of this is Herodotus' conviction that one can never be assured that success or happiness will remain. This is so in part because we almost inevitably overstep ourselves, like Candaules requiring the affirmation of his fr...more

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Apr 14, 2011 Patrick Gibson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: truth_sort-of

“Only YOU would go around carrying a copy of Herodotus.”

What did my friend Richard Halverson mean by ‘only YOU?’

Doesn’t everyone find the big H. interesting and funny?

My summers as music apprentice at Chautauqua Opera gave me tons and tons of free time and (if you’ve ever been there, you know) opportunity to read things outside any syllabus.
While waiting for some prima donna director to mount the perfect ‘Turandot’ I spent hours buried in ‘The Histories.’

Now, I am re-reading this – and finding...more

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Apr 12, 2011 Bondama rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read Herodotus in school -- in Latin, point of fact. I don't know if that really counts here, but I've lately come across him again, in my reading of Stacy Schiff's "Cleopatra, A Life" -- He was one of the many male writers who wrote about this exceptional female. When Herodotus is writing about what is principally military history, he's all right --- it's just that... well, for instance - Schiff points out in Herodotus' History of Mark Antony, Cleopatra runs away with the story, but NOT in a...more

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Apr 06, 2009 Juan Pablo rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: partially-read

Debo hacer notar primero que sólo tuve que leer parte del libro II, y que por lo tanto la opinión que pueda hacerme del libro es bastante sesgada. Pero a pesar de eso aquí va la reseña:
La Historia de Heródoto es una crónica de viajes: en sus páginas, refleja tanto sus inquietudes antropologicas, etnográficas (toda una serie de descdripciones sobre los rituales de sacrificio y los carnavales religiosos), científicas y geográficas (incluida una disertación sobre los cocodrilos y su teoría de que e...more Debo hacer notar primero que sólo tuve que leer parte del libro II, y que por lo tanto la opinión que pueda hacerme del libro es bastante sesgada. Pero a pesar de eso aquí va la reseña:
La Historia de Heródoto es una crónica de viajes: en sus páginas, refleja tanto sus inquietudes antropologicas, etnográficas (toda una serie de descdripciones sobre los rituales de sacrificio y los carnavales religiosos), científicas y geográficas (incluida una disertación sobre los cocodrilos y su teoría de que el valle de Egipto fue en otro tiempo un golfo del Mediterráneo).
Es por lo tanto, una obra mucho más "colorida" que la Historia de Tucídides, llena de anécdotas e incluso acontecimientos inverosímiles (famosas sus descripciones de bestias, de dudosa credibilidad). Como oba Histórica me gustó más la de Tucídides, a mi juicio más profunda en lo que respesta a la comprensión del Hombre, a la vez que mejor contada y más fácil de seguir. Mas no se puede negar que la de Heródoto tiene su encanto.
Me impresionó sobre todo el sentido del tiempo presente en Heródoto: es capaz de pensar en una evolución geográfica que ha tomado miles de años, o comprarar la antigüedad de Egipto con la relativa novedad de la cultura griega.
Diría que Heródoto no es lo que hoy entendemos por historiador: diría que es el más curioso de los viajeros, y que dentro de su curiosidad está incluida la historia de los publos. De su pluma sale todo lo que ha oído.
Nota aparte merece la traducción del padre Bartolomé Pou (c.1780) , que a mi cuyas anotaciones al texto son dignas de tanto interés histórico como la obra original. Pongo sólo dos ejemplo, para que vean como ha cambiado la percepción del mundo en casi 250 años:
1) Al decir Heródoto su teoría de que Egipto fue alguna vez un mar, el padre anota: "TAl opinión, si se atiene a la poca alteración de aquel terreno en el espacio de 2000 años, debe reputarse por fábula egipcia, y sólo puede hallar cabida en la fantástica imaginación del que s eforja un mundo entero, viviente, expuesto a contnuas alteraciones y palingenesias periódicas".
2) Y relatando Heródoto un experimento de rey Psamético sobre cuál era el lenguaje natural (cf: libro II, 2) el sacerdote pone al pie: "Déjese a los antiguos filósofos el investigar si el hombre salió mudo de la tierra o cuál sería su idioma en el estado de naturaleza, pues absurdas son entre los modernos estas disputas cuando la revelación nos enseña que las lenguajes han tenido dos veces a Dios por autor y maestro".
Notable.(less)

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Mar 03, 2009 Faran rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction-ancient

This gets 0 stars, but I gave it a single star to avoid misunderstanding, as some might think I simply forgot to rate it.

It also goes in my ancient historical fiction section because it is fiction.

I don't care about the historical significance of the work, the despicable coward who wrote this propaganda was being an aggrandized self-indulger, and a liar.

That people still believe this nonsense is astounding. Never else in history have thousands of men been able to slaughter millions similarly arm...more

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Nov 28, 2007 Josh added it · review of another edition

Things I think we can learn from the ancients: "[The Persians] are wont to debate their most serious concerns when they are drunk. But whatsoever they decide on, drunk, this the master of the house where they are debating proposes to them again on the next day, when they are sober. And if they like it too, sober, they act on it; but if they do not like it so, they let it be. And whatever they debate, in preliminary fashion, sober, they give to final decision drunk."

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Feb 21, 2013 Christopher Payne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

whew...done....that was a slug fest. I really appreciate what Herodotus was able to achieve, considering the time period. However it feels like it was a little too detailed at some points for an everyday reader, and it can be hard to follow the narrative with the book's long digressions. Imagine it like this I want to give a history of Superbowl 1 so I start with the first team.....give an entire history of that team, all the coaches and their history all the previous games leading up to that on...more

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May 16, 2011 Kenny rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ah, the sublime egoism of the internets, where a mere mortal like me writes a review of Herodotus.
Obviously, as he is the first historian, you should read him. Even if he was boring and inaccurate, you should read him. But Herodotus is certainly not boring, and he's not as inaccurate as a lot of famous quotes from him would make you believe. It's sad, but Herodotus' reputation for inaccuracy, which he had even in the ancient world, comes largely from people stupidly misreading his greatest stren...more

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Jan 24, 2012 Daniel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is one of those rare ancient texts which you can pick up and just read. No intro class needed, not much context needed either.

The story and the characters flow very naturally, you can read the whole thing without much explanation after you finish - one of the benefits of having a complete text!

Also some of the most memorably quirky things you'll read in an ancient text: a king who is so enamored of his wife's beauty that he feels the need to show her naked to his closest advisor (and...more

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May 11, 2007 Steven rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone

Shelves: nonfiction, antiquity

This is the first swipe at a history book. Some scholars may go on about, "Thucydides blahblahblah more rigorous blahblahblah."

...but come on, people. Herodotus arguably invented prose. What more do you want from him?

Somewhere between an oral history, a tall tale, a study of military strategy (The tale of Zopyros will haunt my sleep until the day I die.), and comparative anthropology, it's engaging and entertaining.

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Oct 04, 2012 Christine rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this book on assignment for class and holy crap...what an involved process. I rush read it in less than four days...
It's highly interesting, but I swear Herodotus can't keep focused worth anything. I actually have no interest in writing a review, so here, have all the things I live-tweeted while reading it.

-Dreams can be really messed up.
-"...Astyages had another dream. This time it was that a vine grew from his daughter's private parts and spread over Asia."
-And somehow that dream meant...more

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May 17, 2013 Stephen Marte rated it 5 of 5 stars

I've studied Herodotus pretty extensively as he is the basis of a historical novel I just published.

Herodotus is known as the 'father of history' as his The Histories is the oldest history on record (excluding the Bible). The word historie in Greek means 'to inquire.' Herodotus lived about 50 years after the events of the Persian War, which at the time was probably like the World War II of its era. Herodotus was the first person we know of to travel around Greece methodically interviewing vetera...more I've studied Herodotus pretty extensively as he is the basis of a historical novel I just published.

Herodotus is known as the 'father of history' as his The Histories is the oldest history on record (excluding the Bible). The word historie in Greek means 'to inquire.' Herodotus lived about 50 years after the events of the Persian War, which at the time was probably like the World War II of its era. Herodotus was the first person we know of to travel around Greece methodically interviewing veterans who'd been taken part in the war (the same way Ken Burns interviewed WW2 vets for his documentary The War.)

Where Herodotus gets knocked around by modern historians is that he did not check his facts. A lot of what he records were out-right exaggerations and folklore. The classic example of this was his claim that Xerxes' Persian army number one million men. Modern historians claim it would have been impossible to feed that many people that far from home. Odds are, the ex-vets told him it was a million men, simply because it was a huge force and a million was the biggest number they knew. It's pretty much excepted that Xerxes' army was probably closer to 250,000 men. Still a huge force, compared to what Greece could muster.

The folklore comes into play when Herodotus talks about stories from places like Persia, Egypt and Libya. For instance, the stories that in Egypt there were flying snakes, in India there were ants the size of dogs that dug up gold, or that it was impossible to travel north of the Danube River because of all the bees. Some people try explaining these stories, but odds are, Herodotus simply inquired among people who dished out folklore rather than facts.

Still, Herodotus has a lot of good stories to tell. He's the one responsible for giving us the tale of King Leonidas and the last stand of the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae. He also reports about the Battle of Marathon, Battle of Plataea and the naval engagement at Salamis. When you read them, it's obvious Herodotus was not a mititary man as his descriptions are rather vague and confusing. He was more of a moralist than a true historian.

Thucydides is actually the better historian, and is known as the 'father of scientific history.' He was a general at Athens during the Peloponnesian War, so his knowledge of warefare is more detailed and a lot more accurate, as it seems he went to greater lengths to check his facts. Unfortunately, he did not complete his work. He stopped short of the end of the Peloponnesian War. Thankfully, Xenophon picked up the story and finished it in his Hellenica.

The Landmark Herodotus is a great edition, superior to the many other translations on the market as it includes maps on nearly every page, oft times of places that no longer exist, and it includes copious commentary. If you're going to pick up a copy of Herodotus' work, I'd go with this one.(less)

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About Herodotus

Herodotus of Halicarnassus was a Greek historian from Ionia who lived in the 5th century BCE (ca. 484 BCE–ca. 425 BCE) and is regarded as the "Father of History:" As he was the first to use the term. He is almost exclusively known for writing The Histories, a record of his 'inquiries' (or ἱστορίαι, a word that passed into Latin and took on its modern connotation of history) into the origins of the...more

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The Persian War (Translations from Greek & Roman Authors)

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“No one is so foolish as to prefer war to peace, in which, instead of sons burying their fathers, fathers bury their sons.” — 65 people liked it

“Of all men’s miseries the bitterest is this: to know so much and to have control over nothing.” — 38 people liked it

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