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Title: Herodotus: The Histories: New Translation, Selections, Backgrounds, Commentaries (Norton Critical Editions) by Herodotus, Walter Blanco, Jennifer Tolbert Roberts ISBN: 0-393-95946-5 Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: January, 1992 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.50 |
Average Customer Rating: 5 (2 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A short moral history of the West
Comment: Often called "the father of history" Herodotus wrote the history of the Persian Wars more than one thousand years ago. The Persian Wars were a series of wars between the Powerful Persian empires of Xerxes and Darius and a handful of Greek cities, most notably Athens and Sparta. The Persian Wars set the tone for many subsequent themes in Western History including:
1. The concept of preserving Western culture from Eastern invaders. This theme occurs again and again in the conflicts between Rome and Parthia, the latter Roman Empire and the Huns, Charlamagne and the Saracens, late Medieval Europe and the Mongols, and contemporary Hollywood propaganda films about Arab terrorists. 2. The idea of a highly motivated and cunning underdog defeating a powerful but sloppy enemy. 3. The need for alliances and team work.
The most interesting part of The Histories, however is not the politics or the battles but the moral lessons that Herodotus tried to impart. A recurring theme in The Histories is the idea that the Greeks defeated the Persians because the Greeks acted in Harmony with nature while the Persians defied nature. Herodotus provides countless anecdotes of the hubris of Persian emperors who attempted to dominate nature by bridging the Hellespont , draining an offending river by digging thousands of diverting canals, or throwing shackles into the ocean to symbolize its submission to the Emperor. Herodotus viewed these actions as Hubris because they contained a false assumption of man's superiority over nature.
It is interesting that the father of Western History derived his culture's legitimacy from its respectful interaction with nature. What on Earth would he make of us now?
Rating: 5
Summary: the best of the Greeks
Comment: First of all, if you haven't had the pleasure of reading any of the Norton Critical Editions of any famous works, always opt for them. As usual, this is a superb edition with tons of scholarly material and background information. If you like Greek history, it's hard to find anything that you would not like about Herodotus's histories. Many consider him the father of all history, and after you read him, you'll see why. On top of being a great historian, you'll find plenty of personal anecdotes about the Romans' escapes in Egypt, Cyrus's mistakes and achievments, and Xerxes' victories. This will make you a quick expert in Greek history and will entertain you with anecdotes from the Greek forays into Africa and the Mediterrean. You'll never think of any of the Greek leaders the same way again after you read Herodotus' gossip column account. You can't always trust him, but it's much more entertaining than Thucydides's histories.
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Title: The Peloponnesian War: A New Translation, Backgrounds, Interpretations (Norton Critical Editions) by Thucydides, Walter Blanco, Jennifer Tolbert Roberts ISBN: 0393971678 Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: July, 1998 List Price(USD): $20.60 |
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Title: The Histories (Penguin Classics) by Herodotus, Aubrey De Selincourt, John M. Marincola ISBN: 0140449086 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: 29 April, 2003 List Price(USD): $7.00 |
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Title: The Peloponnesian War by Donald Kagan ISBN: 0670032115 Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: 08 May, 2003 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
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Title: The Peloponnesian War by Thucydides ISBN: 0075543729 Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages Pub. Date: 01 May, 1982 List Price(USD): $12.80 |
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Title: The Aeneid by Virgil, ROBERT FITZGERALD ISBN: 0679729526 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 16 June, 1990 List Price(USD): $10.00 |
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