The Histories (, Historíai; also known as The History) of Herodotus (c. 484 – c. 425 BC) is considered the founding work of history in Western literature. Although it is not an impartial record, it remains one of the West's most important sources. It established the genre and study of history in the Western world.
The Histories is one of the earliest accounts of the rise of the Persian Empire, as well as the events and causes of the Greco-Persian Wars between the Persian Empire and the Greek city-states in the 5th century BC. Herodotus portrays the conflict as one between the forces of slavery (the Persians) against the forces of freedom (the Athenians and the confederacy of Greek city-states which united against the invaders). The Histories was at some point divided into the nine books that appear in modern editions, conventionally named after the nine Muses.
The oldest extant copy of Histories by Herodotus are manuscripts from the Byzantine period dating back to the 9th and 10th centuries CE (the Codex Laurentianus Codex A).
Motivation for writing Herodotus claims to have traveled extensively around the ancient world, conducting interviews and collecting stories for his book, almost all of which covers territories of the Persian Empire. At the beginning of The Histories, Herodotus sets out his reasons for writing it:
Publication history The main sources for the manuscript tradition are: +SiglumLibraryShelfmarkDate (century)LinkALaurentianPlutei 70.0310th BAngelicanus11th DVaticangr 236910th/12th RVaticangr 12314thSEmmanuel College Library'Sancroftianus'14thUVaticanUrbinas 88CLaurentianconventi soppressi 20711th EBibliothèque nationale de Francesuppl. 13413thPBibliothèque nationale de Francegr. 163314th Additionally, many early papyri survive: +Papyri of the HistoriesRepositoryReferenceDate (century)SectionSourceOxfordP.Oxy 1619 late 1st Book iiiP.Oxy 13751st-2nd OxfordP.Oxy 2099Early 2nd Book viiiP.Oxy 10922nd P.Oxy 12442nd OxfordP.Oxy 2095 2nd Book iP.Oxy 2097 2nd Book iP.Oxy 2096Late 2nd Book iP.Oxy 2098 Late 2nd Book viiP.Oxy 192-3rd Book i.76P.Oxy 183rd Book i.105-6P.Oxy 6953rd OxfordP.Oxy. XLVIII 3378iii 37.2P.Oxy. LXV 4455Commentary on Bk. 5P.Oxy. XLVIII 3377ii 161.1-3P.Oxy. XLVIII 3379iv 168.1-2P.Oxy. XLVIII 3380v 30.1-3P.Oxy. XLVIII 3382viii 1.1-2P.Oxy. XLVIII 3381vii 169.2-170.1P.Oxy. XLVIII 3383viii 2.2-5.1P.Oxy. XLVIII 3373i 51. 4-54.1P.Oxy. XLVIII 3372i 6. 2–9.2P.Oxy. XLVIII 3375i 61. 2-62.2P.Oxy. XLVIII 3374i 57.3P.Oxy. XLVIII 3376i 187, ii 51–141Bavarian State Library Pap.graec.mon. 89 1st-2nd British LibraryPapyrus 1109 1st-2nd RylandsPapyrus2nd Pierpont Morgan LibraryAmherst papyri3rdBritish LibraryMilne No. 1034th
Summary Book I (Clio) The abductions of Io, Europa, and Medea, which motivated Paris to abduct Helen. The subsequent Trojan War is marked as a precursor to later conflicts between peoples of Asia and Europe. (–5)Fehling, Detlev (1989). "Some demonstrably false source citations". Herodotus and His 'Sources' . Francis Cairns, Ltd. 50–57. . Lindsay, Jack (1974). "Helen in the Fifth Century". Helen of Troy Rowman and Littlefield. 133–134. Colchis, Colchians and Medea. (1.2.2–1.2.3) The rulers of Lydia (on the west coast of Asia Minor, today modern Turkey): Candaules, Gyges, Ardys, Sadyattes, Alyattes, Croesus (–7) How Candaules made his bodyguard, Gyges, view the naked body of his wife. Upon discovery, she ordered Gyges to murder Candaules or face death himself How Gyges took the kingdom from Candaules (–13) The singer Arion's ride on the dolphin (–24) Solon's answer to Croesus's question that Tellus was the happiest person in the world (–33) Croesus's efforts to protect his son Atys, his son's accidental death by Adrastus (–44) Croesus's test of the oracles (–54) The answer from the Oracle of Delphi concerning whether Croesus should attack the Persians (famous for its ambiguity): If you attack, a great empire will fall. Peisistratos' rises and falls from power as tyrant of Athens (–64) The rise of Sparta (–68)
A description the geographic location of several Anatolian tribes, including the Cappadocians, Matieni, Phrygians, and Paphlagonians. () The Battle of Halys; Thales predicts the solar eclipse of May 28, 585 BC () Croesus's defeat by Cyrus II of Persia, and how he later became Cyrus's advisor (–92) The Tyrrhenians' descent from the Lydians: "Then the one group, having drawn the lot, left the country and came down to Smyrna and built ships, in which they loaded all their goods that could be transported aboard ship, and sailed away to seek a livelihood and a country; until at last, after sojourning with one people after another, they came to the Ombrici, where they founded cities and have lived ever since. They no longer called themselves Lydians, but Tyrrhenians, after the name of the king's son who had led them there,". ()Herodotus. The Histories. Translated by A. D. Godley, Harvard University Press, 1920, http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0126:book=1:chapter=94. The rulers of the Medes: Deioces, Phraortes, Cyaxares, Astyages, Cyrus II of Persia (–144) The rise of Deioces over the Medes Astyages's attempt to destroy Cyrus, and Cyrus's rise to power Harpagus tricked into eating his son, his revenge against Astyages by assisting Cyrus The culture of the Persians The history and geography of the Ionians, and the attacks on it by Harpagus Pactyes' convinces the Lydians to revolt. Rebellion fails and he seeks refuge from Mazares in Cyme (Aeolis) The culture of Assyria, especially the design and improvement of the city of Babylon and the ways of its people Cyrus's attack on Babylon, including his revenge on the river Gyndes and his famous method for entering the city The culture of the Babylonians Cyrus's ill-fated attack on the Massagetæ, leading to his death
Book II (Euterpe)
The proof of the antiquity of the Phrygians by the use of children unexposed to language The geography, customs, and history of Egypt (Sections 2–182) Speculations on the Nile river (Sections 2–34) The religious practices of Egypt, especially as they differ from the Greeks (sections 35–64) The animals of Egypt: cats, dogs, crocodiles, hippopotamuses, otters, phoenixes, sacred serpents, winged snakes, ibises The culture of Egypt: medicine, funeral rites, food, boats The kings of Egypt: Menes, Nitocris, Mœris, Sesostris, Pheron, Proteus Helen and Paris's stay in Egypt, just before the Trojan War (–120)Kim, Lawrence (2010). "Homer, poet and historian". Homer Between History and Fiction in Imperial Greek Literature. Cambridge University Press. 30-35 . Allan, Williams (2008). "Introduction". Helen. Cambridge University Press. 22-24 . Lindsay, Jack (1974). "Helen in the Fifth Century". Helen of Troy. Rowman and Littlefield. 135–138. More kings of Egypt: Rhampsinit (and the story of the clever thief), Cheops (and the building of the Great Pyramid of Giza using machines), Chephren, Mycerinus, Asychis and the Ethiopian conqueror Sabacos, Anysis, Sethos The line of priests The Labyrinth More kings of Egypt: the twelve, Psammetichus (and his rise to power), Necôs, Psammis, Apries, Amasis II (and his rise to power)
Book III (Thalia) Cambyses II of Persia's (son of Cyrus II and king of Persia) attack on Egypt, and the defeat of the Egyptian king Psammetichus III. Cambyses's abortive attack on Ethiopia The madness of Cambyses The good fortune of Polycrates, king of Samos Periander, the king of Corinth and Corcyra, and his obstinate son The revolt of the two Magi in Persia and the death of Cambyses The conspiracy of the seven to remove the Magi The rise of Darius I of Persia. The twenty satrapies The culture of India and their method of collecting gold The culture of Arabia and their method of collecting spices The flooded valley with five gates Orœtes's (governor of Sardis) scheme against Polycrates The physician Democêdes The rise of Syloson governor of Samos The revolt of Babylon and its defeat by the scheme of Zopyrus
Book IV (Melpomene)
The history of the Scythians (from the land north of the Black Sea) The miraculous poet Aristeas The geography of Scythia The inhabitants of regions beyond Scythia: Sauromatae, Budini, Thyssagetae, Argippaeans, Issedones, Arimaspi, Hyperboreans A comparison of Libya (Africa), Asia, and Europe The rivers of Scythia: the Ister, the Tyras, the Hypanis, the Borysthenes, the Panticapes, the Hypacyris, the Gerrhus, and the Tanais The culture of the Scythians: religion, burial rites, xenophobia (the stories of Anacharsis and Scylas), population (sections 59–81)
The beginning of Darius's attack on Scythia, including the pontoon bridge over the Bosphorus The brutal worship of Zalmoxis by the Getae The customs of the surrounding peoples: Tauri, Agathyrsi, Neuri, Androphagi (man-eaters), Melanchlaeni, Geloni, Budini, Sauromatae The wooing of the Amazons by the Scyths, forming the Sauromatae Darius's failed attack on Scythia and consequent retreat The story of the Minyæ (descendants of the Argonauts) and the founding of Cyrene The kings of Cyrene: Battus I, Arcesilaus I, Battus II, Arcesilaus II, Battus III (and the reforms of Demonax), Arcesilaus III (and his flight, restoration, and assassination), Battus IV, and Arcesilaus IV (his revolt and death) The peoples of Libya from east to west The revenge of Arcesilaus' mother Pheretima
Book V (Terpsichore) The attack on the Thracians by Megabazus The removal of the Paeonians to Asia The slaughter of the Persian envoys by Alexander I of Macedon The failed attack on the Naxians by Aristagoras, tyrant of Miletus The revolt of Miletus against Persia The background of Cleomenes I, king of Sparta, and his half brother Dorieus The description of the Persian Royal Road from Sardis to Susa The introduction of writing to Greece by the Phoenicians The freeing of Athens by Sparta, and its subsequent attacks on Athens The reorganizing of the Athenian tribes by Cleisthenes The attack on Athens by the Thebans and Eginetans The backgrounds of the tyrants of Corinth Cypselus and his son Periander Aristagoras's failed request for help from Sparta, and successful attempt with Athens The burning of Sardis, and Darius's vow for revenge against the Athenians Persia's attempts to quell the Ionian revolt
Book VI (Erato)
The fleeing of Histiaeus to Chios The training of the Ionian fleet by Dionysius of Phocaea The abandonment of the Ionian fleet by the Samians during battle The defeat of the Ionian fleet by the Persians The capture and death of Histiaeus by Harpagus The invasion of Greek lands under Mardonius and enslavement of Macedon The destruction of 300 ships in Mardonius's fleet near Athos
The order of Darius that the Greeks provide him earth and water, in which most consent, including Aegina The Athenian request for assistance of Cleomenes of Sparta in dealing with the traitors The history behind Sparta having two kings and their powers The dethronement of Demaratus, the other king of Sparta, due to his supposed false lineage The arrest of the traitors in Aegina by Cleomenes and the new king Leotychides The suicide of Cleomenes in a fit of madness, possibly caused by his war with Argos, drinking unmixed wine, or his involvement in dethroning Demaratus The battle between Aegina and Athens The taking of Eretria by the Persians after the Eretrians sent away Athenian help Pheidippides's encounter with the god Pan on a journey to Sparta to request aid The assistance of the Plataeans, and the history behind their alliance with Athens The Athenian win at the Battle of Marathon, led by Miltiades and other strategoi (This section starts roughly around 6.100) The Spartans late arrival to assist Athens The history of the Alcmaeonidae and how they came about their wealth and status The death of Miltiades after a failed attack on Paros and the successful taking of Lemnos