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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
I suppose I'm slightly biased by the fact that I've met Herodotus in Assassin's Creed Odyssey, but Herodotus is simply an intriguing figure to me. This book was largely sold to me through popular culture and mass rhetoric as the foundation of the concept of history, and I'm sure several actual historians would disagree with that statement, especially Asian historians who would note that Herodotus really wouldn't be that relevant to anyone East of the Himalayan mountains. Nevertheless, Herodotus endures and this narrative is an insightful opportunity to dig into the concept of what history is, how it's constructed, and how a writer's bias and personality can influence the work to its benefit and detriment.
The Histories is not a straight narrative, in fact, it's a rambling account filled with digressions as Herodotus interrupts his political analysis to describe the histories of regions and peoples, their behaviors, their customs, their myths, their diets, etc. and all of these digressions only build the larger narrative. Herodotus is telling the lives and cultures of these people establishing the model that such stories are worth writing down for posterity, and also including whether or not such stories can always be believed. I might be a fanboy, but reading this book was a blast largely because it felt like I was reading someone discovering new territory while also reflecting upon the realities of their experience.
The Histories is a chance to see the birth of historical writing and analysis in Western civilization, or at least the birth of a refined method of it. Any reader who wishes to dig into the culture and history of ancient Greece or anyone who simply wishes to learn more about ancient cultures in the Mediterranean should take the time to read this book. And, honestly, anyone interested in narrative and stories should read this book, if for nothing else, it's a chance to observe a clear narrative voice and observe how Herodotus turns himself into a character and witness at the same time he's apparently listing, without bias, according to him, the facts, as he had been told.
The Histories is not a straight narrative, in fact, it's a rambling account filled with digressions as Herodotus interrupts his political analysis to describe the histories of regions and peoples, their behaviors, their customs, their myths, their diets, etc. and all of these digressions only build the larger narrative. Herodotus is telling the lives and cultures of these people establishing the model that such stories are worth writing down for posterity, and also including whether or not such stories can always be believed. I might be a fanboy, but reading this book was a blast largely because it felt like I was reading someone discovering new territory while also reflecting upon the realities of their experience.
The Histories is a chance to see the birth of historical writing and analysis in Western civilization, or at least the birth of a refined method of it. Any reader who wishes to dig into the culture and history of ancient Greece or anyone who simply wishes to learn more about ancient cultures in the Mediterranean should take the time to read this book. And, honestly, anyone interested in narrative and stories should read this book, if for nothing else, it's a chance to observe a clear narrative voice and observe how Herodotus turns himself into a character and witness at the same time he's apparently listing, without bias, according to him, the facts, as he had been told.
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
medium-paced
I finally finished this one all the way through! I read bits and pieces of it back in college for my Greek history course. Sometimes it's hard to follow but overall it's an interesting and fascinating look at Greek history and myth all rolled into one and how a modern-day historian for his time wrote this type of narrative.
Awful boring, but history can be fun if you sift through all the this-group-fought-this-group-because-this-king's-grandfather-whatever. I enjoyed the story about Arion and the dolphin, and it was fun to learn a little about ancient Greece and surroundings. Although to be perfectly honest I did not read all the sections I was supposed to, because I'm currently trying to not fail math and physics.
Now I've got to write an essay on this brick. Someone save me
Now I've got to write an essay on this brick. Someone save me
Considered to be the "father of history", Herodotus collected the bits and pieces of Ancient Grecian history with the intent of preserving it so that the famous Greeks and Non-Greeks and their great achievements wouldn't be erased by time, especially the hostilities between them and the causes behind the Greco-Persian wars.
Herodotus clearly tests out writing methods and styles. His stories are long-winded, peppered with seemingly meaningless asides that one can only gather combine to create some kind of lesson. He defines what it is to be Greek by comparing them to non-Greeks. For those who just want the facts (or as close as they can get), this book may be a bore because of its lengthy detail and jumpy timeline. For those that appreciate a good story withing their history, you may will find some enjoyment in Herodotus' colourful narrative full of tall tales and exaggerations, because within them lies the truth and the Greek way of thinking.
Herodotus clearly tests out writing methods and styles. His stories are long-winded, peppered with seemingly meaningless asides that one can only gather combine to create some kind of lesson. He defines what it is to be Greek by comparing them to non-Greeks. For those who just want the facts (or as close as they can get), this book may be a bore because of its lengthy detail and jumpy timeline. For those that appreciate a good story withing their history, you may will find some enjoyment in Herodotus' colourful narrative full of tall tales and exaggerations, because within them lies the truth and the Greek way of thinking.
Read this for a university course so enjoyment lowered because I had to do an essay on it. I'm not well-read in this subject or history so it was more difficult to follow, but fun to analyze in class how Herodotus' bias may come through with his stories.
Really enjoyable and very accessible!
My review: http://mwgerard.com/books-for-september-2015/
My review: http://mwgerard.com/books-for-september-2015/
Okay, after two years with this book hanging out on my currently-reading list, I think it's time to call it a day. It was interesting in parts and provided a different perspective on some historical events and some imagery that sometimes made me regret the choice to read it aloud to my daughter, but all of the many names and the constant turning to the notes in the back to decipher what was going on just wore on me. I read more than half, so I'm calling it "read."