The History of Herodotus by Herodotus Free eBook

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Free eBook The History of Herodotus

Volume I. &

Volume II.

The Histories also known as The History of Herodotus is now considered the founding work of history in Western literature. Written in 440 BC in the Ionic dialect of classical Greek, The Histories serves as a record of the ancient traditions, politics, geography, and clashes of various cultures that were known in Western Asia, Northern Africa and Greece at that time. Although not a fully impartial record, it remains one of the West's most important sources regarding these affairs.

The Histories also stands as one of the first accounts of the rise of the Persian Empire, as well as the events and causes of the Greco-Persian Wars between the Achaemenid Empire and the Greek city-states in the 5th century BC.

The Histories was at some point divided into the nine books that appear in modern editions, conventionally named after the nine Muses.

Book I (Clio)

The rapes 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. (1.1–5)[3]

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, Sadyattes, Alyattes, Croesus (1.6–7)

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 (1.59–64)

The rise of Sparta

Book II (Euterpe)

Speculations on the Nile river

The religious practices of Egypt, especially as they differ from the Greeks

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, Sesostris, Pheron, Proteus

Helen and Paris's stay in Egypt, just before the Trojan War (2.112–120) [5]

The Labyrinth

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

...

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

...

Book V (Terpsichore)

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

...

Book VI (Erato)

The invasion of Greece under Mardonius and enslavement of Macedon

The destruction of 300 ships in Mardonius's fleet near Athos

...

Book VII (Polymnia)

The amassing of an army by Darius after learning about the defeat at Marathon

The quarrel between which son should succeed Darius in which Xerxes I of Persia is chosen

The death of Darius in 486 BC

The defeat of the Egyptian rebels by Xerxes

The advice given to Xerxes on invading Greece: Mardonius for invasion, Artabanus against (9-10)

...

Book VIII (Urania)

Greek fleet is led by Eurybiades, a Spartan commander who led the Greek fleet after the meeting at the Isthmus 481 BC,

The destruction by storm of two hundred ships sent to block the Greeks from escaping

The retreat of the Greek fleet after word of a defeat at Thermopylae

The supernatural rescue of Delphi from a Persian attack

The evacuation of Athens assisted by the fleet

The reinforcement of the Greek fleet at Salamis Island, bringing the total ships to 378

...

Book IX (Calliope)

The warning from Alexander to the Greeks of an impending attack

...