Herodotus

Herodotus of Halicarnassus represents his work Histories not as the history in the understanding of a modern reader, pure historical facts and events, but as a rich collection of vivid narratives and description about wars between Greeks and barbarians so that inspiring stories would not be forgotten in the days of yore. The name of this book, The Histories, derives from Greek word, hisroiē, meaning investigation and inquiry. For Herodotus, he investigates many local oral stories and tales from various regions and complies them into The Histories. Despite the fact that there is much skepticism towards the credibility of this book, not only is The Histories an invaluable masterpiece depicting epic wars and splendid human achievements, but also…

Herodotus, who recorded the things around him by inquiring people in different country, is known as the father of history in western literature. He was exiled by his native land and actually, this was an essential opportunity for writing his book The Histories. He was the first one who gives up the tradition of recording history from Homer. The Histories focuses on criticality and accuracy. His purpose of writing The Histories is to record those tremendous contributions by Hellenes and other…

individuals whom enlightened Greece and the modern world with streams of intellectual movements. An example of a prominent personality of Classical Greece is Herodotus, who holds incalculable importance. Herodotus gives an insight of his own conception of the world in which human psychology takes fundamental place. He is also known for contributing to the creation of what society now refers to as ‘history’; an essential tool critical for humanity’s self-knowledge. The traces of Herodotus that…

In his work, The Histories, the Greek historian Herodotus gives an account of Darius and Xerxes, who were two members of the Achaemenidai family, and ruled as Kings during the Greco-Persian Wars. Persian kingship was different from earlier Greek kingship. I believe, however, that if we examine the virtues that Darius and Xerxes had, we could see they shared similar values than the Greeks. In this essay, I will argue that Herodotus does indeed provide us with a narrative that indicates that…

Motivations Behind The Histories Herodotus was primarily interested in describing the “known world”. For example, book 2 was originally a separate book about Egyptian customs, which he later inserted. His motive was to show how history is one continuous story, and how many different events are actually interwoven. One can read The Histories as an illustration of the different societies and cultures in the area with the Persian War as a backdrop. Key Stories & Themes Candaules and Gyges •…

Historical Analysis Herodotus The Histories (excerpts) The Histories is written by Herodotus, a Greek from Halicarnassus, who traveled as a refugee and decided to work on history (Thomas R. Martin page 3). My historical analysis is written about part 2 of this document. This chapter discusses how “barbarians” lived and what beliefs they followed. It discusses what Herodotus learned about from first hand seeing, and from conversations he had with people who lived through these times. The…

always found the fine line between narrative as myth or history problematic, an issue that Herodotus, one of the great ancient Greek historians, attempts to deal with by rationalizing myth, so as to still incorporate it into his accounts, and actively distinguishing myth from history. Rationalization boils myth down into its most fundamental components, supporting the argument that myth is simply history spun out of proportion or misremembered by exposing myth’s basis in real life events.…

build? The pyramids were made out of perfectly cut blocks of stone. The blocks were put into place by strong levees, ramps, and bridges. These amazing huge structures were built to honor Egyptian kings. There is one thing we do not know about the pyramids, who built these grand monumental structures for the pharaoh? Did slaves or paid workers make these pyramids come to life? According to many documents and sources around the world some say slaves built the pyramids, others say that paid workers…

Section A Apodexis, Aitiai, Istoria Herodotus histories were considered as the founding work of history in the western literature era. There are many aspects that are recurred to understand history. Apodexis is needed when a demonstration revolves into proof. Aitiai coincided with Istoria, whereas Aitiai is greek for cause and the ability to find out a reason for something. While Istoria focuses on the written accounts of others and their varied histories. Cleon, Diodotus, Mytilenian The…

validility and value of Herodotus' Historys there are multiple factors one must consider. Why did he write his works?; who did he write them for and how did he gather his information? Though these questions are still the subject of debate among many scholars, it is fairly well accepted that more than two centuries passed before the past had been bound to any kind of chronology that was to be compiled in the writings of Herodotus(Finley 1986, 17). For his sources Herodotus gathered most of his…