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Herodotus: Histories Herodotus
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In estimating the great work of Herodotus, and his genius as its author, it is above all things necessary to conceive aright what that work was intended to be. It has been called "a universal history," "a history of the wars between the Greeks and the barbarians," and "a history of the struggle between Greece and Persia." But these titles are all of them too comprehensive. Herodotus, who omits wholly the histories of Phoenicia, Carthage, and Etruria, three of the most important among the states existing in his day, cannot have intended to compose a "universal history," the idea of which belongs to a later age. He speaks in places as if his object was to record the wars between the Greeks and the barbarians; but as he omits the Trojan war, in which he fully believes, the tradition of the Teucrians and Mysians against Thrace and Thessaly, the wars connected with the Ionian colonization of Asia Manor, and others, it is evident that he does not really aim at embracing in his narrative all the wars between Greeks and barbarians with which he was acquainted. Nor does it even seem to have been his object to give an account to the entire struggle between Greece and Persia. That struggle was not terminated by the battle of Mycale and the capture of Sestos in 479 B.C. It continued for thirty years longer, to the peace of Callias.
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In judging the value of the work of Herodotus, it is helpful to attempt to place it within its historical context. Scholars believe that works such as this were originally created to be ‘performed’ at public readings in Hellenic centers, such as Athens, during festival periods. Thus, there is an unsurprising element of showmanship and storytelling in the Histories. John Marincola, in his introduction to the Histories, says:
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Herodotus is the first Greek historian. His great work, The Histories, is the story of the war between the huge Persian empire and the much smaller Greek city-states. In itself it is an exciting story, but the work is important for a number of reasons.
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Herodotus describes some of the customs of the Babylonian people. It is these descriptions which have been the cause of some controversy surrounding the Histories. First, he tells of an annual custom intended to guarantee adequate dowries for all young women of marriageable age. This is best described as a ‘wife auction’ at which the prettiest girls are sold to the highest bidders, and the least attractive are offered with dowries funded by the profits from the sale of the former. He ... relates that Babylon has no doctors, but that sick persons are laid out in public places, and passersby are required to inquire about their maladies and provide medical advice where they can. Almost in passing, the historian additionally notes that
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In compiling the materials for his Histories Herodotus depended mainly on his own observations, the accounts of eyewitnesses on both sides, and, for earlier events, oral tradition. There was very little in the way of official records available to him, and few written accounts. The results of modern archeological investigations show that he was a remarkably accurate reporter of what he saw himself. But when he depended on others for information, he was not always critical enough in deciding what was reliable and what was not and in making due allowances for the bias of his informants.
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Guide Note:Herodotus is a Greek historian, born to Lyxes and Dryo, who is most known for his writings entitled The Histories. Historians disagree as to whether his writings are true history, or myth.
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