Herodotus Histories by Herodotus of Halicarnassus as translated
by A. D. Godley
Herodotus was the first historian of Western Civilization. His great work, Herodotus Histories, is a carefully organized and heavily researched collection of historical information from ancient Greece. It was written approximately between the years of 450 to 420 BC.
Histories, an ambitiously researched work, was eventually divided into nine parts by editors. Each part was named for one of the nine muses: Clio, Euterpe, Thaleia, Melpomene, Terpsichore, Erato, Polymnia, Ourania and Calliope. The timetable for the book follows the lives of four Persian Kings, Cyrus,Cambyses, Darius, and Xerces. The scope of the work covers the years 557-479 BC. When gathering information for his book, Herodotus traveled throughout the world, visiting Africa, and India, interviewing scholars and witnesses of the great events of that time period. It is the most extensive historical document preserved from that time-period in ancient Greece. Histories gives extensive insight into the cultural traditions, politics, and the ancient views of geographic features and anamolies. A thoroughly fascinating account, Histories set the standard for extensive record keeping and historical narrative.
Herodotus was not without critics. Many accused him of fabricating tales, of spurring on legends and myths, and of exaggerating the truth. Herodotus insisted that he just reported what he reliable sources told him. Later discoveries would corrorborate a great portion of Histories, giving it added credence. The work gives a detailed and important account of the rise and fall of the Persian empire.
A.D. Godley was an accomplished classical scholar and a poet.
