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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
The Histories is not for the faint of heart. It's size is daunting, it's considered the foundation of Western history and Herodotus goes off on more tangents than there are in trigonometry. Did I need four pages of how the Persian tax system worked in order to understand the Persian War? Probably not.
I do appreciate the detail in other areas and really enjoyed the wit (unintentional as it may have been). I think this is a must read for students of the Classics, Ancient History, History and Political Science. Nothing highlights how truly petty the Greek city states were than this work.
I do appreciate the detail in other areas and really enjoyed the wit (unintentional as it may have been). I think this is a must read for students of the Classics, Ancient History, History and Political Science. Nothing highlights how truly petty the Greek city states were than this work.
What the heck. I wrote a review for this and now it's missing?!? WTF goodreads.
Anyway. Very interesting, surprisingly more accurate than one would guess, and it is a MIND Bender to see it casually written "..and the Lesbians sent 60 ships". People of the island of Lesbos. Gave me a doubletake every time I read it!
Anyway. Very interesting, surprisingly more accurate than one would guess, and it is a MIND Bender to see it casually written "..and the Lesbians sent 60 ships". People of the island of Lesbos. Gave me a doubletake every time I read it!
i had to read this for school and i hated it but it took so long that i’m counting it towards my reading goal lmao
A very rewarding, but very dense book. I found the translator's notes to be (on the whole) intrusive rather than illuminating.
Overall, I'd say that this is an excellent work of reference, but not an easy jump into the histories for a casual reader like me.
One note that caught my eye stated 'this is the oil from which petroleum is made'. Any fule no that Petra Oleum is, in fact, (rock) oil.
A good read that rewards the determined reader.
Overall, I'd say that this is an excellent work of reference, but not an easy jump into the histories for a casual reader like me.
One note that caught my eye stated 'this is the oil from which petroleum is made'. Any fule no that Petra Oleum is, in fact, (rock) oil.
A good read that rewards the determined reader.
adventurous
challenging
informative
slow-paced
Amazing how many of the myths and widely known historical soundbites about the classical world are taken from this legendary work.
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Way more enjoyable than I thought it was going to be, and much more readable. I don't know that there is much more I can say about it. The ancients strike me as an odd mixture of incredibly human and totally alien.
Reading has tempted me to pick up a more modern account of the period, perhaps Kagan's book on this war. But then, the thing I liked best in this book were the shorter asides that added flavor to the broader history, and my guess is that would be missing from a modern account. Maybe I'm wrong.
Reading has tempted me to pick up a more modern account of the period, perhaps Kagan's book on this war. But then, the thing I liked best in this book were the shorter asides that added flavor to the broader history, and my guess is that would be missing from a modern account. Maybe I'm wrong.
informative
slow-paced
informative
slow-paced
This was required reading for my Ancient Greece and Rome class, which is the only reason I endured reading it. I did not enjoy it at all, which is a shame, because I was really interested in it. I did enjoy the part about the battle of Thermopylae, which is what my paper was about. The issue with Herodotus is that his histories have been refuted, so one must read this with a grain of salt.