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Herodotus: The Histories (Penguin Classics)

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This is the first great prose work in European literature and the first history text. Herodotus is a volume that should be required reading for all educated men and women. The edition I read, and recommend, is the translation by Aubrey de Selincourt of Penguin Books. "The Histories" is an account, which I found very entertaining, of what led up to the war between the Greek city-states and the Persians under Darius and Xerxes resulting in the battles of Marathon (490 B.C.), Salamis (480 B.C.), and Plataea (479 B.C.). Scholars often seem to keep forgetting that Herodotus was also a great storyteller, even if he gets his dates wrong, has little military experience (hence, his descriptions of the battles leaves much to be desired), and often relies on untrustworthy sources. However, he never intentionally misleads the reader. He usually informs the reader if some information is hearsay or untrustworthy. The text is divided into nine books. Book I deals primarily with the conflicts the Greeks had with their neighbors, leading to the Trojan War. It also contains an account of the conquest of Lydia by Croesus (and Solon's famous visit) and the establishment of the Persian Empire. Book II is mainly concerned with Egypt and Book III deals with the reign of Cambyses over Egypt and the rise of Darius. Book IV is concerned with the beginning of Darius' campaign against Scythia and his conquest of Lybia. Book V discusses the reduction of the Scythians in Thrace and the beginning of the Ionian revolt against Persia. Book VI reports on the progress of the war down to the victory of the Greeks at Marathon. Books VII to IX cover the death of Darius, the preparation of the army of Xerxes, the march across the Hellespont, the battles of Thermopylae and Salamis, and the final defeat of the Persians at Plataea and at Mycale.

The Penguin Classics series is full of treasures, but this is one of the best of them. Like other reviewers I approached this with a little trepidation, thinking that it would be a dry study of ancient history. I was surprised and delighted to find that Herodotus, at least in this translation (by Aubrey de Selincourt), is lively, witty and frankly more readable than many modern history writers.

There are copious footnotes, provided by John Marincola, and I found them very valuable in providing context. For example, Herodotus gives, in book seven, an incredible account of how Xerxes had a channel cut through the Athos peninsula a mile and a half long and a hundred feet wide, just to pass through on his invasion of Greece, and not for permanent use. Marincola points out in the footnotes that later writers of antiquity ridiculed this account, but that in fact archaeological evidence has been found to support it.

Marincola also provides a structural outline of the histories, several maps (which are absolutely invaluable), and a chronology, plus lists of the most important kingships. The histories cover quite a bit of territory and time, but the focus is on the war between Persia and Greece, waged first by Darius and then by Xerxes. The timeline, in modern terms, is about 560 B.C. to 480 B.C.; however, particularly when talking about Egypt, Herodotus goes back much further.

Herodotus' general style, in fact, is to use the political events of the history as springboards for relating the information he has about the customs of the various Mediterranean societies. There are many digressions on the customs of the Babylonians, the Thracians, the Libyans, the Indians, and so on; these are placed whereever they seem most relevant in the story. But the digressions do not obscure the fact that Herodotus is simply a terrific story-teller. He relates little anecdotes about how so-and-so became king or incurred the wrath of Xerxes or died in battle with tremendous gusto; he is opinionated, coherent, and just plain fun to read.

More than just the pleasure of reading well-written history, however, there is something else to be gained from reading Herodotus. The histories are now almost 2500 years old. It is impossible to read them without wishing to have met Herodotus; without realizing that whatever we think about our technological progress, men of wit, genius and breadth of learning have existed for millenia and are not confined to the present day. When you read the Histories, and perhaps especially when you read the section on Egypt, which was, incredibly, as old to Herodotus as Herodotus is to us, you start to feel the true depth of human time in a way very hard to achieve.

A classic, in every sense of the word. You'll love it.

If you think history is a dry, dull, boring subject, reading Herodotus's History of the Persian Wars just might change your mind. Herodotus clearly enjoys his subject and enjoys writing about it; he has been accused of fabricating facts but he states several times in the book that although he feels obligated to report everything he has heard, he does not have to believe it all alike, and where he doesn't believe what he has heard or read, he says so. In contrast to Thucydides, whose style is didactic, analytic and dry as dust, Herodotus write with a lot of verve and humor, and makes us live in his time by bringing the time vividly to life. The translation by Aubrey Selincourt is a good one, but if you can, get the edition translated by George Rawlinson ("The Persian Wars"), which is more interesting and more fun to read. This is a wonderful volume for history buffs or anyone who simply enjoys a well-written, fascinating book.

I picked up a copy of this book over ten years ago and it had been collecting dust ever since. The size alone kept me at bay plus my other experiences with ancient authors had led me to assume reading it would be a dull, tedious chore. BOY WAS I WRONG! I had SO much fun reading this book it was hard to believe. I finished it in less than a week (no mean task!). Anyone interested in early Greek culture or the wars with Persia might find a modern work to be more accurate but you'd be hard pressed to find a more ENJOYABLE piece than this one!

Let's assume you are not a classics major, and you are not all that interested in military history. Should you read the "Histories" of Herodotus? The answer is a resounding "Yes", and here are some of the reasons why:

While the bulk of the book is devoted to the Persian Wars (and you certainly can skip over the catalogs and battle details) it's the digressions and anecdotes that make Herodotus fascinating reading. Dates, numbers and even names are often of dubious validity, so you need not waste a lot of time on them. The political, social, ethnographic and anthropological commentary is more intriguing, albeit frequently wide of the mark. But that is exactly why you should read it: what and where is "the mark"? If a sophisticated writer and traveler like H. accepted obvious whoppers at face value and passed them on to credulous readers - what does that tell us about our own credulity?

The intrigues and deceptions involved in forging alliances; the constant juggling of self-interest vs. "the greater good"; the importance of skillful rhetoric and propaganda in promoting one's cause; the treachery and rapaciousness of famous leaders like Themistocles, and the self-indulgence and hubris of splendid figures like Xerxes; the extreme dependence of Greeks and Persians alike on oracles and omens ( nowadays we call them "polls"): all these phenomena are uncomfortably familiar to us.

Once you have become engrossed in H.'s narrative, you may want to linger a little over some of the "human achievements" and "great and marvellous deeds" he promises to record. There is for instance the canal Xerxes is said to have constructed across Athos, in order to avoid circumnavigation of the peninsula - an engineering feat and display of hubris reminiscent of "Fitzcarraldo". Until recently, no trace of this technical marvel had been found. But lo: a team of British and Greek geophysicists has located the structure with seismic measurements, as reported in the "Journal of Applied Geophysics". So, while a healthy dose of skepticism is in order (as with all historiographic literature), some achievements that had been doubted by scholars may turn out to be "real" after all.

H. closes his wide-ranging narrative with a statement attributed to Cyrus, whom he credits with foresight and wisdom: "Soft countries breed soft men. It is not the property of any one soil to produce fine fruits and good soldiers too." Therefore "the Persians should choose to live in a rugged land and rule rather than to cultivate rich plains and be slaves to others". Now there is a thought worth pondering!

A smooth translation and an exemplary critical apparatus combine to engage the reader's curiosity and invite reflection.

Herodotus, as everybody knows, is "The Father of History." However, another tradition, almost as old, has cast him as the "Father of Lies". Unlike Thucydides, who immediately followed him, Herodotus' history was epic in scope, encompassing all human life - and his discussions of supernatural or divine events, for instance, often read as being exceptionally credulous and lacking in critical awareness.
However, this need not detract from one's enjoyment of this marvellous work. Herodotus travelled all across the world, Greek and non-Greek, and while he supplies us with a good deal of fascinating and factual information about historical events, his digressions into the realms of mythology and local folk-tales keep us entertained to the last. The highly digressive structure of the work makes it exceptionally difficult to follow the chronological or analytical thread in places, but that's beside the point. The "Histories" is a book to submerge yourself into, and whether you want to find out about Greek history in the archaic period or merely be entertained by a wealth of beautifully-told anecdotes, Herodotus is the man for you. His merits are numerous - unlike Thucydides, his conception of history encompasses far more than the narrow realms of politics and wars, and he is happy to set differing traditions alongside one another and allow the reader to make up their own mind. As we move into a period when history is increasingly seen as "holistic", and away from the narrow Thucydidean conception of history, we increasingly learn to treasure Herodotus for what he is - the fossilized voice of an entire generation of men, living in an impossibly distant past, keeping us entertained with their fireside stories. All this is facilitated by Aubrey de Selincourt's fluent (if slightly free) translation. Superb.

This book is a wonderful book to read, not just for historians and people interested in ancient Greece cultures, but for all people who appreciate lively story telling.

It's true that Herotodous was not the most disciplined of historians (many things he had to say should be taken with a pillar of salt), but he always manages to be entertaining. It's interesting just to read all the misconceptions the Greeks had about other people.

And then there are the inspiring stories of the Persian War. Learn about the first ever marathon. Read about Artemesia, the Persian naval commander, a feminist centuries before her time. I can't recommend this book enough!

This book rocks the bookshelf! Not only do you get history, you get zoology, anthropology, myth, and geography. There are many funny things too. You will read about the gold digging ants and the ox that cooks itself. The history concerning the great Persian Wars are spiced up with the dramatics and an exaggeration of numbers. Herodotus believes that Xerses invading army was 3,000,000 strong not including the fleet. The army was so big that it took one week to cross the bridge over the Hellespont and they drank whole rivers dry, according to Herodotus. Read about the heroes of Marathon and Thermopylae in this epic battle between East and West. This is surely a classic for all the ages. Read it today!

The Histories, as pointed out by a previous reviewer, are a vital text that every person who has succeeded in graduating high school should be exposed to. It should be included in all World Literature approaches, which is why, if you are reading this review for a reference or encouragement to read the Histories, take it just as that.

I would simply like to stipulate that, while many view the book (as mentioned in previous reviews) as "fun" and for "the laymen," it is also a gateway to the classical works, of many that only lofty intellectuals clame credible interpretations; the rest of us laymens [sic] are in a state of perpetual comitatus. Herodutus is vital, credible (well, the read is credible), viable, and a neccesity to anyone who has an inkling of interest in the classics. If you fit in this category, READ THE BOOK!!

I have wanted to read Herodotus ever since I heard his name in The English Patient! I finally took the plunge and bought this version of Herodotus, The Histories. Let me just say this, I was scared, thinking this would be incredibly deep and hard to read. It isn't! It is so reader friendly and the author/translator guy helps so much with background. You don't even have to be a student of classical studies to enjoy this book. I'm not and I can't wait to read it again!