The Landmark Herodotus: The Histories (Landmark Series) Paperback – Illustrated, June 2, 2009

Herodotus recorded primarily oral accounts of events leading up to the Persian Wars of 490 and 479-480 BCE and in the process describes the known world of his day. The detailed discussion (after a brief summary of mythic tales) begins at about 560 BC with Croesus of Lydia (he of "rich as Croesus") and concludes with the battle of Mycale and the siege of Sestos. He describes the interactions between Croesus and the Greek colonies on the coast of Asia Minor and then goes on to describe the foundation of the Persian Empire by Cyrus and its subsequent expansion under his successors. Herodotus perceives the conflict as the result of individual human actions, rather than of larger political and economic forces. His account is a grand story filled with digressions to describe a myriad individuals, places and historical anecdotes while building to the grand finale of the Greek victories over the Persians. The whole is a colorful, fascinating tapestry of Mediterranean life in the 6th and 5th centuries BCE.Reasons to Read HerodotusReaders interested in Ancient Greece can turn to many sources but reading Herodotus (and Thucydides) has the benefit of seeing Greece through the eyes of the ancient Greeks themselves. Thus the history and culture come alive from a first person perspective. The Histories are literally an `inquiry' (it was Herodotus who gave the word `history' its current meaning, until then there being no such concept) into the causes of the conflict between Greeks and Persians. He attempts to provide evidence for his conclusions and indicates where he disagrees with existing wisdom.Herodotus is an astonishingly sophisticated and cosmopolitan observer. In Book 2, Chapter 3, referring to the Egyptians, he observes that with regard to religion he does not think that any one nation knows much more about such things than any other. This attitude is not universal even now and was almost unheard of until the 20th century. Herodotus has influenced us in ways we may not suspect. The informal motto of the US postal service (...neither snow nor rain nor heat nor dark of night keeps them from completing their appointed course) comes from Book 8, Chapter 98, referring to the Persian system of royal couriers.The remarkable notion to emerge from reading the Histories is that while the emphasis seems to be on Greece, in fact it was the Persian Empire that was the 800 lb gorilla of the Mediterranean World. The war was in no way a conflict between the absolutes of good and evil. Numerous Greek cities sided with Persia, and there were influential pro-Persian lobbies even in the cities (e.g. Athens) that fought it. The exiled Spartan king Demaratos lived at the Persian court and accompanied Xerxes on his Greek expedition, advising him on the way. The Athenian general Themistocles after defeating the Persians on behalf of the Greeks ended up living at the court of Xerxes' successor in later life. The nuanced portrayal of antagonists (while recognizing affiliation to one side) is a special gift of the Greeks and dates back to Homer with his sympathetic portrayal of the Trojans.Reasons to read this particular editionThe Landmark Herodotus has several useful features. The Histories are all about the geography of the ancient world and maps are essential to understanding them. The Landmark Herodotus has the appropriate maps (127 in all) interspersed with every few pages of the text, supporting every episode for easy reference. Notes on the text occur at the bottom of each page instead of in a separate section at the end of the book, making reference easy. The text is cross-referenced, i.e. when Herodotus refers to something described elsewhere in the Histories notes indicate the precise book and chapter. A short summary of each chapter appears in the adjacent margin as a side note. This makes flipping back and forth easy. Finally, at the top of each page is a running head providing at a glance the date, location and a summary of the action on that page. Twenty-one appendices provide additional information. These are relatively short (a few pages each) and to the point, though of variable quality. Some provide additional information, some only commentary on the text. The index, glossary and bibliography are designed for the general reader wanting more information.Casual readers may find the world of Herodotus a strange and alien world. The more discerning reader will realize that the descriptions of politicians lying, cheating, changing sides and taking and giving bribes are no different from the headlines of today. This is what made the battle of Thermopylae stand out as an exception rather than the rule (then, as now). When King Leonidas realized he had a rare opportunity to demonstrate moral fiber he decided that it would `not be decent' for the Spartans to leave their post in the face of the much larger Persian army when he had been sent specifically to guard the pass. Instead, he dismissed his allies (perhaps forestalling them deserting anyway, but in any case saving their lives) and led a charge dying together with all 300 of his Spartans. His name has echoed down the millennia.Tell the Spartans, stranger passing by,That here obedient to their laws we lie.

This review will rate "The Landmark Herodotus" in two ways. First, it will review this particular edition, and second, it will review the Histories of Herodotus itself.I give five stars to this edition of Herodotus. I cannot imagine reading any other edition of Herodotus; after looking through several other translations and editions, this one exceeds them all in many respects. The first and most relevant addition is the inclusion of maps every few pages. Herodotus mentions many different places in his work and unless you're a professor of Greek history, you won't know all of them. Every location that is known to modern scholars is plotted on the maps. Best of all, each map focuses on the places mentioned in the pages preceding it. That way the maps aren't cluttered, making it difficult to find a place that you've read about (unlike almost every other Greek history book available).Andrea Purvis's translation is excellent. It is clear, easy to understand, and uses 20th century English, unlike many of the other translations available which use old-fashioned and pretentious language. The appendices are very helpful and worth reading as you move through the book. They help to pull together many aspects of Herodotus's work.I also give five stars to the Histories of Herodotus as a work in its own right. What Herodotus has to say is interesting and hugely relevant to ancient history. Herodotus has many detractors who say that he was not as critical of his sources as he ought to have been. I disagree. Herodotus repeatedly gives several viewpoints for an issue and then explains why he thinks that one of them is the best. For example, he gives numerous theories for why the Nile floods in the summertime and then explains why he thinks one of them is true.Herodotus does claim that many of the oracles are credible and occasionally gives supernatural explanations to historical events (for example, the Greek victories at Plataea and Mycale). His reliance on the supernatural, however, is sensible or even progressive when compared with his contemporaries. Is he as empirically-minded as Thucydides? Perhaps not, but Herodotus's work does seem to suffer less from personal bias than Thucydides' "The Peloponnesian War". I fully recommend "The Landmark Herodotus" to anyone interested in Greek or Persian history or reading one of the classics of world literature.