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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
informative
slow-paced
The basis for western historiography
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
informative
reflective
medium-paced
I hadn't read Herodotus in many years, and certainly not since before Marincola's revision of this venerable translation. The added notes are a great help.
adventurous
slow-paced
Really enjoyed this. I've read excerpts of Herodotus in the past, but I didn't enjoy it. Reading this in its entirety allowed me to enjoy it as a single work which flowed well. I loved the prose approach to this history.
Some parts were more exciting than others. Unsurprisingly, the account of the Spartan 300 at Thermopylae was thrilling. My favorite part by far. After that I loved the story of Croesus and that many anecdotes about the torture methods and Machiavellian pursuits of the Persians. Fun stuff.
What I loved most about this work is how it fits into my reading challenge of reading all of the "Great Books." Having read Homer, the Homeric Hymns, and the Greek Tragedies really helped me appreciate this so much more. I am looking forward to moving on with Thucyides.
Some parts were more exciting than others. Unsurprisingly, the account of the Spartan 300 at Thermopylae was thrilling. My favorite part by far. After that I loved the story of Croesus and that many anecdotes about the torture methods and Machiavellian pursuits of the Persians. Fun stuff.
What I loved most about this work is how it fits into my reading challenge of reading all of the "Great Books." Having read Homer, the Homeric Hymns, and the Greek Tragedies really helped me appreciate this so much more. I am looking forward to moving on with Thucyides.
3/5–I understand why this is a great book, however, I personally did not enjoy Herodotus’ narrative style. I found the book to pose to me a question of if the “histories” were true or not, but I do think this is part of the point.
"Human prosperity never abides long in the same place...many things make it plain to me that the hand of God is active in human affairs."
The Histories is an engaging read despite its age of over 2,400 years. I imagined Herodotus as a quirky, questioning man wandering around the Mediterranean asking priests and noblemen about the past. I believe he'd get along with Socrates - they might even have met in Athens!
As a standalone work, The Histories is entertaining and enlightening. I especially loved the footnotes in the Penguin Classic's edition. I laughed each time the translator added, "unfortunately, Herodotus got his legged pulled again." But, by and large, Herodotus is an excellent source backed up by contemporary documents and modern archeology. The more we've discovered, the more revered he becomes.
I read Herodotus for two reasons. One, educated people have read Herodotus for millennia, and I wanted to join that group. Few works besides Homer and religious works can compete for such longevity and popularity. Second, I wanted to read stories beyond imagination today. Herodotus is known as both the Father of History and the Father of Lies. He's an incredible storyteller such that it's often hard to parse truth from fiction. I found that melding fascinating. I often wrote little notes to myself in the margins with gut reactions to hilarious, tragic, or hilariously tragic stories.
Altogether I'm glad I spent the last two weeks with Herodotus and The Histories.
As a standalone work, The Histories is entertaining and enlightening. I especially loved the footnotes in the Penguin Classic's edition. I laughed each time the translator added, "unfortunately, Herodotus got his legged pulled again." But, by and large, Herodotus is an excellent source backed up by contemporary documents and modern archeology. The more we've discovered, the more revered he becomes.
I read Herodotus for two reasons. One, educated people have read Herodotus for millennia, and I wanted to join that group. Few works besides Homer and religious works can compete for such longevity and popularity. Second, I wanted to read stories beyond imagination today. Herodotus is known as both the Father of History and the Father of Lies. He's an incredible storyteller such that it's often hard to parse truth from fiction. I found that melding fascinating. I often wrote little notes to myself in the margins with gut reactions to hilarious, tragic, or hilariously tragic stories.
Altogether I'm glad I spent the last two weeks with Herodotus and The Histories.