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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
One of the most fascinating history books I've ever read. Herodotus tries his best at being unbiased and doesn't always succeed, which makes this history even more intriguing. That's forgivable, however, because this is really one of the world's earliest attempts at creating a book of history. Herodotus had no rules by which to write. So when he includes heresay and myth it makes the book all the more exciting.
dark
informative
slow-paced
It was a dread to get through this book, but well worth it. The writing is superb, and I highly recommend this versions; the maps and side notes are extremely helpful for getting all of the information Herodotus throws at you.
Sterren geven aan een boek uit de 5e eeuw voor Christus slaat natuurlijk als kut op Dirk. Als het dan moet, dan maar het hoogste aantal voor dit absolute meesterwerk.
This is so good, ya'll. It isn't the easiest thing to read, but to read history from history's mouth is very cool. Why do we know Egyptian's shaved their eyebrows when their cats died? This guy!
challenging
informative
medium-paced
Spending time with Herodotus' "Histories" resembles sitting at the feet of a village elder. He may have had an interesting life; he may have seen cities rise and fall; he may have once had vivid words with which to tell his tales; but he's become too senile to keep a consistent narrative thread. Yes, his digressions are engaging, but when you remember he set out to tell how Persia and Greece warred in spectacular fashion, his wending descriptions of rivers and fir trees and crocodile spawn become tiresome.
Herodotus was no more than a man full of inquiries, but his fascination with the past and thirst for deeper meaning led him to create the first (non-fiction) book of the Western canon. Herodotus’ Histories is lengthy, intimidating, and challenging, but its reputation of being the gateway history books for anybody interested in the subject. The Histories is very fast-paced for its staggering 600 pages, a lot of what is mentioned is described in very readable and digestible passages that never fail to illustrate the reader an ancient world where the arrogance and pride of the Persians clash with the superior cunning and intelligence of the Greeks.
I don’t deny that this book is filled with a lot of mysticism, which is a generally known fact among readers of Herodotus. Being the first historian, mistakes were bound to be made regarding authenticity or continuity. Herodotus even put in multiple accounts of the same story based off of how different races recount it. Yet, even if the man was objectively wrong and obviously bias in some parts, the Histories is still surprisingly enjoyable with the amount of information it contains, whether the information concerns the customs of different races, how brutal the kings of the ancient world were, the ridiculous dependence of oracles and sacrifices, the pettiness and envy that rule all throughout the hierarchies of each nation, or how absurd life was then compared to now. Especially concerning life then to now… Herodotus says “If everyone in the world were able to bring their own problems along to market with the intention of trading them with his neighbors, a glimpse of the neighbors’ problems would make him glad to take back home the ones he came with.” Considering that my problems consist of missing out on reading time or staying up longer than I should have and that the average Greek male’s problems consisted of trying to be lucky enough not to get castrated as a boy and trying to fight for the entirety of Greece as a single warrior while also fighting dysentery, the Persians and their allies, and the constant possibility of being enslaved for the rest of your life and having your children killed, I’d gladly take my problems back home and rethink my life.
So much for the lives of the Greeks. Anyway, I’ve learned a lot from this one single history book, even if some of it was completely imaginary. From ego to humility, weakness to strength, honor to shame, the Histories is an forever-lasting fire of endless themes and interpretations that all surround an idea that Virgil penned almost 450 years after this book was first conceived: “Mind moves matter”.
I don’t deny that this book is filled with a lot of mysticism, which is a generally known fact among readers of Herodotus. Being the first historian, mistakes were bound to be made regarding authenticity or continuity. Herodotus even put in multiple accounts of the same story based off of how different races recount it. Yet, even if the man was objectively wrong and obviously bias in some parts, the Histories is still surprisingly enjoyable with the amount of information it contains, whether the information concerns the customs of different races, how brutal the kings of the ancient world were, the ridiculous dependence of oracles and sacrifices, the pettiness and envy that rule all throughout the hierarchies of each nation, or how absurd life was then compared to now. Especially concerning life then to now… Herodotus says “If everyone in the world were able to bring their own problems along to market with the intention of trading them with his neighbors, a glimpse of the neighbors’ problems would make him glad to take back home the ones he came with.” Considering that my problems consist of missing out on reading time or staying up longer than I should have and that the average Greek male’s problems consisted of trying to be lucky enough not to get castrated as a boy and trying to fight for the entirety of Greece as a single warrior while also fighting dysentery, the Persians and their allies, and the constant possibility of being enslaved for the rest of your life and having your children killed, I’d gladly take my problems back home and rethink my life.
So much for the lives of the Greeks. Anyway, I’ve learned a lot from this one single history book, even if some of it was completely imaginary. From ego to humility, weakness to strength, honor to shame, the Histories is an forever-lasting fire of endless themes and interpretations that all surround an idea that Virgil penned almost 450 years after this book was first conceived: “Mind moves matter”.