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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
I read this cover to cover for a college seminar on the big man himself and find myself still reaching for it fairly frequently to reference a story, or compare writing styles. Everyone should read this, hands down. And no, you won't be tested on the slow parts, so feel free to skip ahead.
challenging
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
This book is not only about histories. It's also about the way of life of various long-lost civilizations notably the Persians, the Greeks (apparently there were so many nations then), the Egyptians, the Scythians, and many more. An interesting mix of history, anthropology, geography (I hate this part because there are no illustrations or pictures), political and social sciences...this book is not only quite thick, but provides a really vast description on those above mentioned people. The details given in the book makes me grateful I live in the current age.
The first half of the book was kinda boring but the second half was superb. I especially love reading the battles in Marathon, Salamis and Plataea. Total EPIC. Battle of Thermopylae was not so bad, but I was surprised with so little details on the battle itself, considering there are already two movies about it (AFAIK), i.e. The 300 Spartans and its poor remake, 300 dan probably even poorer sequel (why on earth Zack Snyder and Frank Miller keep on defiling ancient history??).
I think Herodotus made some exaggerated statements, such as the amount of troops brought by Xerxes to invade Greece. Almost 3,000,000, huh? Did the then world population even top that? Don't think so. Maybe around 150,000 to 300,000 would be more believable. There are so many names of people, places, nations, races, etc that can give you a headache. But whatever, I still like this book because it gave me a window to the ancient yet highly illustrious past which is almost forgotten by the current generation.
The first half of the book was kinda boring but the second half was superb. I especially love reading the battles in Marathon, Salamis and Plataea. Total EPIC. Battle of Thermopylae was not so bad, but I was surprised with so little details on the battle itself, considering there are already two movies about it (AFAIK), i.e. The 300 Spartans and its poor remake, 300 dan probably even poorer sequel (why on earth Zack Snyder and Frank Miller keep on defiling ancient history??).
I think Herodotus made some exaggerated statements, such as the amount of troops brought by Xerxes to invade Greece. Almost 3,000,000, huh? Did the then world population even top that? Don't think so. Maybe around 150,000 to 300,000 would be more believable. There are so many names of people, places, nations, races, etc that can give you a headache. But whatever, I still like this book because it gave me a window to the ancient yet highly illustrious past which is almost forgotten by the current generation.
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Very interesting book and account of the two wars the Greeks fought with the Persian empire. While there is much legend and mythos in the book, what really shines is the way it is presented. Herodotus is an excellent storyteller. He gives a great deal of respect to the Egyptians but know nothing of their customs. Beer is foreign to him. Giant ants don't exist. The story of the Greek city-states coming together is very well done. It is a classic that is a must read.
adventurous
informative
relaxing
slow-paced
Perhaps it would have been wise to do a little more research before starting this, but I did not realize that the most famous portion of The Histories would come in books 7-9....and that there would be a lot of material beforehand... But I wanted to come in without bias (as much as possible) and that is what I did. It just happened to take me a lot longer to slog through it than I expected.
The last three books do prove to be interesting and a quick read, not just because it focuses on the war between Greece and Persia. The first few books have Herodotus delving into endless digressions on individuals and locations, descriptions of geography and rituals. Herodotus figures that when a character appears in his narrative, that is as good a time as any to delve into his whole backstory before continuing with the "narrative". And digress he does, again...and again...and again...But as The Histories progress, the narrative core of the story also gains strength. Then we arrive in book 7, and until the very end of The Histories as it remains with us today, it goes full strength as a singular narrative and gains much of its momentum back.
So as a primary source in historiography, I found it fascinating that this is the oldest recording of narrative history that we like to recognize, it does feel strikingly modern at times with Herodotus citing sources and also debating their validity. But the recounting of lineage and the endless digressions from the narrative let you know this is not something written for a modern audience. So my enjoyment of the work is just 2 stars, but I appreciate what it does well in books 7-9, I just can't say I truly "enjoyed" the book prior to that on its own merits, but mostly as a study in Historiography.
The last three books do prove to be interesting and a quick read, not just because it focuses on the war between Greece and Persia. The first few books have Herodotus delving into endless digressions on individuals and locations, descriptions of geography and rituals. Herodotus figures that when a character appears in his narrative, that is as good a time as any to delve into his whole backstory before continuing with the "narrative". And digress he does, again...and again...and again...But as The Histories progress, the narrative core of the story also gains strength. Then we arrive in book 7, and until the very end of The Histories as it remains with us today, it goes full strength as a singular narrative and gains much of its momentum back.
So as a primary source in historiography, I found it fascinating that this is the oldest recording of narrative history that we like to recognize, it does feel strikingly modern at times with Herodotus citing sources and also debating their validity. But the recounting of lineage and the endless digressions from the narrative let you know this is not something written for a modern audience. So my enjoyment of the work is just 2 stars, but I appreciate what it does well in books 7-9, I just can't say I truly "enjoyed" the book prior to that on its own merits, but mostly as a study in Historiography.
adventurous
challenging
informative
tense
slow-paced
Ancient History is kinda boring, but Herodotus grounds his information with his opinions.
An excellent translation from Tom Holland, one of my favorite historians. Very readable and fluent. It actually made me really appreciate Herodotus again . . .
Read for school in ninth/tenth grade. (Meaning, read very fast and without understanding a lot of it.) I remember that I appreciated his little diversions into interesting, possibly-not-historical anecdotes.
I should probably return to this if I ever want to fully comprehend ancient history, but goodness it's long...
I should probably return to this if I ever want to fully comprehend ancient history, but goodness it's long...