Herodotus: The History Site Map Herodotus of Halicarnassus: The History
(or Histories , or Inquiries)
Outline summary by Michael McGoodwin, prepared 1996 Acknowledgement: This work has been summarized using the University of Chicago edition transl. David Grene 1987. Numbers provided in square brackets or parentheses refer to the page numbers in this edition. Overall Impression : This is a thoroghly enjoyable and entertaining book, a "must" read in the Western canon. I also recommend the excellent introduction and the translation provided by David Grene. Overview (partially extracted from the Grene text and prepared for a woman's book discussion group) To read The History (Herodotus' only book) is to seek one's roots as a member of Western democratic civilization. It is in part a gripping and much revered tale of colossal confrontation between freedom-loving Greek-speaking peoples (the Athenians, Spartans, and others) and the seemingly unstoppable forces of the Persians. The Asiatic "Great King" Xerxes, who followed in the footsteps of Cyrus and Darius and assembled a military force numbered in the millions, was intent on enslaving the Greeks as he had so many other countries in the region- Egypt, Asia Minor, Syria, Babylonia, etc. The heroic battles near Athens- at Marathon (490 BCE), Thermopylae, Salamis, and finally Plataea (479 BCE) were classical Greek's crowning military achievements, and Herodotus was determined to record these great deeds for future generations (particularly in view of the ignominious and disastrous Peloponnesian Wars that followed). | |
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