Selections from Herodotus

by Herodotus

Herodotus, born in 484 BC, has been styled as the "Father of History." The selections in this book are The Story of Solon and Croesus, Fall of Croesus, Story of Cyrus, Cambyses in Egypt, The Story of Polycrates, The Story of Zopyrus, Darius in Scythia, Story of the Peisistratidae, The Battle of Marathon, Thermopylae. In Greek with synopses, commentary and notes in English.

Genres: Classics, History

112 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 481

About the author

Herodotus (Greek: Ηρόδοτος) (c. 484 – c. 425 BC) was a Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus, part of the Persian Empire (now Bodrum, Turkey) and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria, Italy. He is known for having written the Histories – a detailed account of the Greco-Persian Wars. Herodotus was the first writer to perform systematic investigation of historical events. He has been described as "The Father of History", a title conferred on him by the ancient Roman orator Marcus Tullius Cicero.
The Histories primarily cover the lives of prominent kings and famous battles such as Marathon, Thermopylae, Artemisium, Salamis, Plataea, and Mycale. His work deviates from the main topics to provide a cultural, ethnographical, geographical, and historiographical background that forms an essential part of the narrative and provides readers with a wellspring of additional information.
Herodotus has been criticized for his inclusion of "legends and fanciful accounts" in his work. The contemporaneous historian Thucydides accused him of making up stories for entertainment. However, Herodotus explained that he reported what he could see and was told. A sizable portion of the Histories has since been confirmed by modern historians and archaeologists.

Reviews

[Maisie Sexton · Rating 1 out of 5]

it’s in Greek and i don’t know Greek :/ dnf

[max · Rating 3 out of 5]

Standard school text, hard to beat for an introductory reading of this author. Very good, if somewhat dated, introduction; notes are overall quite helpful and vocabulary offers useful idiomatic definitions of certain words in particular contexts. I plan on using this text next year (2010-2011) in a h.s. advanced Greek class I will be teaching.

One drawback to this edition is that the selections are not correlated with OCT chapter divisions. So if you want to jump from this text to a translation or commentary, you have to work to figure out where you are. I have actually annotated my copy with OCT chapter numbers for ease of reference.

These days Herodotus is enjoying a long overdue resurgence. Of course his pages are full of fanciful tales, ethnographical material of dubious validity, and outright falsehoods. But one must consider what it was that he set out to do. To fault him for not meeting a modern (read: Thucydidean) notion of accuracy is to miss altogether the nature of his modus operandi. He is at heart a story teller; as such he places a high value on entertainment and feels a compelling need to be over- rather than under-inclusive. Take it or leave it.

He is a great joy to read in Greek, as his prose is pellucidly clear. The distinguishing features of his Ionic dialect are easily grasped and never an impediment to understanding. He is very engrossing and like all of the best authors who wrote in the same language, he is quintessentially Greek: i.e., his observations of those who dwell outside of Greece are an extended study on how odd people are who are not Greek, especially the Persians.

[Sam]

Read selections about certain wars. I recall Xerxes crossing the Hellespont and then whipping the water to punish it. The Greek was maybe...Doric?

[Kylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good intermediate level introduction to the joys of Herodotus. Barbour provides a good choice of selections with useful commentary, lexicon, and notes on idiomatic expressions. The overview of the Ionic dialect is particularly useful for readers (like myself) who are unfamiliar with its idiosyncrasies. Barbour doesn't provide corresponding OCT section numbers, so consulting translations can be bothersome. The introduction is too basic, but a sound enough starting point. Overall, Barbour has put together a useful text for intermediate students.

Herodotus himself, of course, is an absolute pleasure.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barbour's selections were excellent for Greek students just entering the world of real Greek authors. She includes most of the well-known and favorite stories from Herodotus, while splicing out his longer and less relevant (for new readers, at least) passages. The notes in the back were very helpful and she includes a glossary for easy reference. Overall, a very helpful intermediate Greek book.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

great commentary, nice selections

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great selections including his pivotal opening. great commentary.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice school text.