Product Description

Herodotus is not only known as the `father of history', as Cicero called him, but also the father of ethnography; as well as charting the historical background to the Persian Wars, his curiosity also prompts frequent digression on the cultures of the peoples he introduces. While much of the information he gives has proved to be astonishingly accurate, he also entertains us with delightful tales of one-eyed men and gold-digging ants. This readable new translation is supplemented with expansive notes that provide readers the background that they need to appreciate the book in depth. * Introduction * Textual Note *Bibliography * Chronology * Appendices * Glossary * Maps * Explanatory Notes * Textual Notes * Index of Proper Names

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #307588 in Books
• Published on: 1998-03-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 840 pages

About the Author
Carolyn Dewald is Associate Professor of Classics at the University of Southern California. Robin Waterfield is a distinguished translator whose version of Plato's Republic has been described as `the best available'.

Customer Reviews

This is one great book...
If you ever slightly suspected you might be interested in ancient history, esp. Greek. START HERE. Herodotus is humourous, anecdotal, moving, informative,involving & never boring. It kept me going for months, & I will keep on going back. So what if he's not always totally accurate...

A real epic
A book to dip into and to return to again and again. Having seen the film 300 and become interested in the background to the Persian wars I am fascinated to read further. Xerxes is my particular interest. He managed to muster together a fighting force of 2.5 million soldiers with an additional entourage of another 2.5 million people, no wonder rivers ran dry when this army passed through. The stories describe each of the regiments including their uniform. The Ethiopians wore a horses scalp including mane and ears instead of a helmet, Xerxes himself was the most handsome and tallest of all men in the army and covered his body in gold. The planned attack took 5 years to organise and the force included a massive fleet of ships. There are philosphical quotes, cruel acts, vivid descriptions, everything you could want and more. Great holiday reading, dont feel this is not for you - anyone would like these tales.