Product Description

In the 5th century BC an adventurous Ionian Greek, Herodotus of Halicarnassus, journeyed extensively through the lands of the eastern Mediterranean, from Egypt to Asia Minor, collecting tales of the upheavals that had afflicted the region in the earlier part of the century. The fruits of his wanderings were "The Histories", in which he used his narrative gifts not only to chronicle the rise of the Achaemenid Persian Empire and its war with the Greek city-states, but also to recount his experiences with the varied peoples and cultures he had encountered during his journey. Herodotus earned the nickname 'the father of history' for this, the first authentic work of historical writing in the Western literary canon.In it he explored such universal themes as the nature of freedom, the role of religion, the human costs of war, and the dangers of absolute power. But in addition to his narrative of the Greek-Persian conflict, he included in "The Histories" rich seams of anthropology, ethnography, geology, and geography, pioneering these fields of study. Successful navigation of this sprawling, monumental work requires an understanding of ancient geography and events that will often be unfamiliar to the modern reader.Ten years in the making, Robert Strassler's magisterial new edition of "The Histories" is amplified by a veritable battery of editorial features - illustrations, maps, annotations, explanatory synopses, and state-of-the-art appendices on such critical themes as Athenian government, Egypt, Persian weaponry and tactics, oracles, religion tyranny and the position of women - that makes Herodotus' masterpiece more comprehensible, more accessible, even more enjoyable than ever before. "The Landmark Herodotus" is the definitive edition of a Western cultural milestone. It belongs on the bookshelf of every literate individual.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8448 in Books
• Published on: 2008-09-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 1024 pages

From the Inside Flap
From the editor of the widely praised The Landmark Thucydides, here is a new Landmark edition of The Histories by Herodotus, the greatest classical work of history.
Herodotus was a Greek historian living in Ionia during the fifth century B.C.E. He travelled extensively through the lands of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea and collected stories, and then recounted his experiences with the varied people and cultures he encountered. Cicero called him "the father of history", and his only work, The Histories, is considered the first true piece of historical writing in Western literature. With lucid prose that harks back to the time of oral tradition, Herodotus set a standard for narrative nonfiction that continues to this day.
In The Histories, Herodotus chronicles the rise of the Persian Empire and its dramatic war with the Greek city-states. Within that story he includes rich veins of anthropology, ethnography, geology, and geography, pioneering these fields of study, and explores such universal themes as the nature of freedom, the role of religion, the human costs of war, and the dangers of absolute power.
Ten years in the making, The Landmark Herodotus gives us a new, dazzling translation by Andrea L. Purvis that makes this remarkable work of literature more accessible than ever before. Illustrated, annotated, and filled with maps, this edition also includes an introduction by Rosalind Thomas and twenty-one appendices written by scholars at the top of their fields, covering such topics as Athenian government, Egypt, Scythia, Persian arms and tactics, the Spartan state, oracles, religion, tyranny, and women.
Like The Landmark Thucydides before it, The Landmark Herodotus is destined to be the most readable and comprehensively useful edition of The Histories available.

About the Author
Robert B. Strassler is an independent scholar and the editor of the widely praised Landmark Thucydides.Andrea L. Purvis holds a PhD in classical studies from Duke University and has taught in that university's department of classical studies

Customer Reviews

Truly outstanding
One of the problems with Herodotus is that there are numerous locations metioned inhis books and one has to constantly use a reference atlas to fully understand the chapter.

This great volume has solved the problem by adding superb black and white maps to every couple of pages with all the locations mentioned in the chapter ,along with drawings and ,when possible ,BW photographs.

The book has also a useful glosary and dictionary and full referrences.

The volume is printed in high quality paper and the cover is very nice, it feels far more expensive than it really is.

5 stars

A wonderful piece of scholarship
This is a wonderful book, not least because of the accompanying information, maps, appendices and photos of artifacts that all swell the readers understanding of the locations and context of this fantastic writer.

It is ideal for novices and experts alike, with very modern translation that has been painstakingly researched.

This is about as good as it gets. Its not very portable though!

The Landmark Herodotus
juat as described in the advert, a most interesting book all the better for the way that the maps relate to the paragraphs.