Why Women in The Histories Are Nightmare Fuel for Greek Men
Herodotus is considered by many as the first historian and his writing in The Histories set a precedence for historical analysis in the ancient Greek world. His choice to begin his narrative by attributing the very beginning of conflict between the East and West to women is a significant move that establishes a reoccurring theme for the rest of the piece (Herodotus 1.1). Although the consequences set forth by the start of this story are not caused due to actions taken by the women themselves but rather the men around them, women whose direct motivations which do change the course of events appear frequently later on in The Histories. The accounts of Kandaules’s wife, Tomyris, and Artemisia …show more content…
After bragging to his bodyguard Gyges about the beauty of his wife, Kandaules insists that Gyges take a peak of her undressing. With much opposition, Gyges agrees, but is caught by Kandaules wife. Knowing her husband was behind this indecency, Kandaules’s wife takes matters into her own hands and forces Gyges to choose either to kill Kandaules or die himself. Gyges is resistant to making a decision, but ultimately folds to the queen and follows her plan to kill Kandaules (Herodotus 1.8-1.12). The resulting union between Kandaules’s wife and Gyges produces a line of Lydian rulers going all the way to the legendary Croesus (Herodotus 1.91.1). Despite the centuries long impact this woman had on Greek and Persian history, Herodotus leaves her unnamed. This is not a snub, but instead an honor. In Athens, women and wives that followed the ideal remained nameless. Herodotus is bestowing this respect onto Kandaules’s wife even though she is not an Athenian. This may seem ironic considering her role in her husband’s murder goes against being a good wife. Yet Herodotus sees her importance worthy of being noted by her anonymity because she acted against a violation of her modesty, an important virtue of Athenian women, and gave rise to a line of successful …show more content…
When Cyrus attempts to persuade her into marriage, she instantly realizes it’s a ploy to get her kingdom (Herodotus 1.205). Angered, Cyrus marches his men to her kingdom in a show of hostility. Tomyris gives him the option of fighting by either coming into her territory or retreating into his, to which he initially agrees to fight on Persian land. However, he changes his mind when one of his advisors convinces him that he should never retreat from a woman, showing his disregard for a female leader (Herodotus 1.207). While initially Cyrus is successful in his campaign against the Massagetai, he would live to regret his underestimation of Tomyris. After Tomyris’s son dies while captured by Cyrus, the queen gathers up a force with determination only a grieving mother can have. The Massagetai emerge victorious, killing Cyrus in battle. In her final act of revenge, Tomyris takes the head of Cyrus and dips it in a wineskin filled with human blood to “quench his thirst for blood” (Herodotus 1.214). This extreme act would have been repulsive to Herodotus’s audience, so he quickly follows up with information about the weird customs of the Massagetai to highlight the backwards aspects of their culture as a way to explain Tomyris’s actions (Herodotus 1.216). Herodotus also notes that this may not be the
Herodotus is considered by many as the first historian and his writing in The Histories set a precedence for historical analysis in the ancient Greek world. His choice to begin his narrative by attributing the very beginning of conflict between the East and West to women is a significant move that establishes a reoccurring theme for the rest of the piece (Herodotus 1.1). Although the consequences set forth by the start of this story are not caused due to actions taken by the women themselves but rather the men around them, women whose direct motivations which do change the course of events appear frequently later on in The Histories. The accounts of Kandaules’s wife, Tomyris, and Artemisia …show more content…
After bragging to his bodyguard Gyges about the beauty of his wife, Kandaules insists that Gyges take a peak of her undressing. With much opposition, Gyges agrees, but is caught by Kandaules wife. Knowing her husband was behind this indecency, Kandaules’s wife takes matters into her own hands and forces Gyges to choose either to kill Kandaules or die himself. Gyges is resistant to making a decision, but ultimately folds to the queen and follows her plan to kill Kandaules (Herodotus 1.8-1.12). The resulting union between Kandaules’s wife and Gyges produces a line of Lydian rulers going all the way to the legendary Croesus (Herodotus 1.91.1). Despite the centuries long impact this woman had on Greek and Persian history, Herodotus leaves her unnamed. This is not a snub, but instead an honor. In Athens, women and wives that followed the ideal remained nameless. Herodotus is bestowing this respect onto Kandaules’s wife even though she is not an Athenian. This may seem ironic considering her role in her husband’s murder goes against being a good wife. Yet Herodotus sees her importance worthy of being noted by her anonymity because she acted against a violation of her modesty, an important virtue of Athenian women, and gave rise to a line of successful …show more content…
When Cyrus attempts to persuade her into marriage, she instantly realizes it’s a ploy to get her kingdom (Herodotus 1.205). Angered, Cyrus marches his men to her kingdom in a show of hostility. Tomyris gives him the option of fighting by either coming into her territory or retreating into his, to which he initially agrees to fight on Persian land. However, he changes his mind when one of his advisors convinces him that he should never retreat from a woman, showing his disregard for a female leader (Herodotus 1.207). While initially Cyrus is successful in his campaign against the Massagetai, he would live to regret his underestimation of Tomyris. After Tomyris’s son dies while captured by Cyrus, the queen gathers up a force with determination only a grieving mother can have. The Massagetai emerge victorious, killing Cyrus in battle. In her final act of revenge, Tomyris takes the head of Cyrus and dips it in a wineskin filled with human blood to “quench his thirst for blood” (Herodotus 1.214). This extreme act would have been repulsive to Herodotus’s audience, so he quickly follows up with information about the weird customs of the Massagetai to highlight the backwards aspects of their culture as a way to explain Tomyris’s actions (Herodotus 1.216). Herodotus also notes that this may not be the