Simultaneously, it tells the story of the growth of the persian empire. The history by herodotus and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Annotated passages from books iix of the histories focus classical commentary herodotus, nagy, blaise on. At the beginning of the histories, herodotus sets out his reasons for writing it. Histories, by herodotus, is an ancient greek text that tells the history of the wars between greece and persia. In this eight volume collection on the persian wars, greek historian herodotus, the father of history, gives a cultured and firsthand examination of the ancient world surrounding the rise and rule of the persian empire alongside a concise history and cultural background of scythia and egypt. Over a hundred years ago, john white published his the boys and girls herodotus, and it remains the only adaptation of this historian for younger readers.
He has been called the father of history, and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a wellconstructed and vivid narrative. Here are presented the results of the enquiry carried out by herodotus of halicarnassus. Books by herodotus sorted by popularity project gutenberg. Readers who are interested in herodotus from either a literary critical angle or from a historical angle will therefore both find useful material in this commentary. An invaluable resource for the study of one of the greatest, and earliest, western prose writers. Being the second book of the famous history of herodotus london.
Translator tom holland argues that the father of history is not. Delineating herodotuss appropriation of homeric language and ideology, for example, is accorded just as much importance as evaluating the historical accuracy of herodotuss narrative. Herodotus 1 greek and latin texts with facing vocabulary. Written from the 450s to the 420s bc in the ionic dialect of classical greek, they serve as a record of the ancient traditions, politics, geography, and clashes of various cultures that were known around the mediterranean and western asia at that time. Known as the father of history, he was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent, and arrange them in a wellconstructed and vivid narrative. On the legacy of the histories by herodotus, historian barry s.
First book of herodotus histories the british library. He seems to have travelled widely throughout the mediterranean world, including egypt, africa, the area around the black sea and throughout many greek citystates, of both the mainland and the islands. He is simply one of the greatest storytellers who ever wrote. Online books about this author are available, as is a wikipedia article. Herodotus presented his theme as recording the achievements of both our own greek and other peoples. The internet classics archive the history of herodotus.
Translator tom holland argues that the father of history is not only hugely entertaining but has an amazing capacity to. Life of the greek historian herodotus of halicarnassos. The histories of herodotus, completed in the second half of the 5th century bc, is generally regarded as the first work of history and the first great masterpiece of nonfiction writing. But the fact is that they pervert history in order to claim relationship with the house of cyrus. He was hardly an impartial observer of the world he wrote about and often gives personal opinions at length on various people, customs, and events. The histories by herodotus, 9780199535668, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Our division of the histories in nine books goes back to an edition by scholars of the third century bce, working in the great library of alexandria. Mar 27, 2018 herodotus is able to bring a reader into the events of the stories he relates by creating vivid scenes with interesting characters and, sometimes, even dialogue. He lived in the fifth century bc and was a contemporary of socrates. But herodotus was the first not only to record the past but also to treat it as a philosophical problem, or research project, that could yield knowledge of human behavior. The history of herodotus volume 1 by herodotus free ebook. Herodotus has a wonderful, gossipy style that makes reading these histories more fun than studying the rise of the persian empire and its clash with greecehowever, thats exactly what readers will do in this engaging history, which is full of interesting digressions and asides. This article presents a list of people whom herodotus c.
To read the history herodotus only book is to seek ones roots as a member of western democratic civilization. The history of herodotus volume 2 herodotus 420 downloads, 1 greek herodotus 175 downloads herodoti historiarum libri ix latin herodotus 129 downloads. List of people mentioned in herodotus, book one wikipedia. Few history books since can compare for sheer drama with herodotus s narrative of the persian invasions of greece. The histories also known as the history of herodotus is considered the founding work of history in western literature. July 20 this link contains a free pdf copy of herodotus book i. A comprehensively revised and updated guide to books iiv of herodotus. A commentary on herodotus books iiv david asheri, alan lloyd, and aldo corcella edited by oswyn murray and and alfonso moreno. Hall, 1869, also by john perkins page images at hathitrust. The stories he chose to tell, and the order in which he told them, provide his readers with a total view of his world and the way in which the will of the gods and the ambitions of humans interacted to produce what is known as history.
Hide browse bar your current position in the text is marked in blue. The stories he chose to tell, and the order in which he told them, provide his readers with a total view of his world and the way in which the will of the gods and the ambitions of humans interacted to produce what is. Gyges, ardys, sadyattes ii, alyattes and finally, his son croesus who we look at in some detail. The literary genius of herodotus consisted in the art of the storyteller. Only scant knowledge of his life can be gleaned from his writings and from references to him by later writings, notably the suda. A major figure in greek history, he was the first historian known to have broken from homeric tradition to treat historical subjects as. The internet classics archive the history of herodotus by. Jul 01, 2001 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Click anywhere in the line to jump to another position. He has been called the father of history, and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and.
A commentary on herodotus books iiv hardcover david. Herodotus was a greek writer and geographer credited with being the first historian. Asia abounding in men, and vast sums flowing into the treasury, the desire seized him to exact vengeance from the scyths, who had once in days gone by invaded media, defeated those who met them in the field, and so begun the quarrel. See all books authored by herodotus, including the histories, and the histories. Oct 04, 20 herodotuss histories dealt with the clash of civilisations east v west. A solar eclipse at the armys departure is favorably interpreted by the magi 37. Herodotus has a wonderful, gossipy style that makes reading these histories more fun than studying the rise of the persian empire and its clash with greecehowever, thats exactly what readers will do in this engaging history, which is full of. Greek text with facing vocabulary and commentary, 2nd ed. A major figure in greek history, he was the first historian known to have broken from homeric tradition to treat historical subjects as a method of investigation. Herodotus, who spent much of his life traveling, was one of the most erudite historians. Essays from a conference in memory of george forrest by peter derow. It is written on paper and dates from some time before 1449, since an ownership inscription from that year is on f.
This manuscript contains the first book of herodotus histories. Rawlinsons translation revised and annotated prospectus by nonesuch press. The histories was at some point divided into the nine books that appear in modern editions, conventionally named after the nine muses. List of books and articles about herodotus online research. Herodotus in george rawlinsons translation, but never really felt the power of the work until i read david grenes version. Clio these are the researches of herodotus of halicarnassus, which he publishes, in the hope of thereby preserving from decay the remembrance of what men have done, and of preventing the great and wonderful actions of the greeks and the barbarians from losing their due meed of glory. Marching order and equipment of the persian army 4041. Herodotus claims to have traveled extensively around the ancient world, conducting interviews and collecting stories for his book, almost all of which covers territories of the persian empire. Herodotus counts by generations, for example the kings of the mermnads dynasty, ruling from c. It is in part a gripping and much revered tale of colossal confrontation between freedomloving greekspeaking peoples the athenians, spartans, and others and the seemingly unstoppable forces of the persians. He is known for having written the book the histories greek. Alas, the language is someone stilted for todays students. Delineating herodotus s appropriation of homeric language and ideology, for example, is accorded just as much importance as evaluating the historical accuracy of herodotus s narrative. Sincerely, andre herodotus book six discussion questions 1.
Priestley, 1829, by pierre henri larcher page images at hathitrust. His invention earned him the title the father of history. I have also heard another account, which i do not at all believe. Herodotus was a greek historian widely referred to as the father of history. Herodotus was an ancient greek historian who lived in the fifth century bc c. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. We do not know what sources herodotus had available to him as he tried to put together a depiction of croesus and his reign. It contains marginal notes in both greek and latin. He was born around 490 bc in halicarnassus, on the southwest coast of asia minor.
Herodotus became the first person we know of to see the past in new and fresh waysnot as a distant recess shrouded in legend and rumor, but as something that lies close at hand. Few history books since can compare for sheer drama with herodotuss narrative of the persian invasions of greece. Adolf kirchhoff, indeed, is my only predecessor in the compositional analysis of herodotus whose work has stood the test of time. To navigate the timeline, click and drag it with your mouse, or click on the timeline overview on the bottom. Herodotuss histories dealt with the clash of civilisations east v west. Bc, greek historian, called the father of history, b. In later centuries it made its way to the jesuit college in. The histories, were divided into nine books, named after the nine muses. Pythius asks xerxes to allow his eldest son to stay home from the war 38.
66 1145 261 155 766 544 1463 591 1029 92 1236 220 1318 1142 207 1348 671 550 1005 1279 1484 724 672 178 185 774 506 361 477 1426 127 698 574 341 325 1047 944