Herodotus: The Histories

September 2007

CAMI

I was really quite surprised at how much I enjoyed reading the book. What an amazing interpretation! I really felt like Herodotus was just a guy telling us some interesting facts while throwing in his own opinion and judgment occasionally. It didn’t feel ancient or unreachable to me. Fabulous.

Cannibalism, prostitution, slavery, murder, greed, war, incest, slander, human sacrifice and desecration, ridiculous rituals and customs, feminism, political scandal, sexual deviance, self-fulfilling prophesy . . . what did these people NOT delve in? And yet there was honor, a general agreement of right and wrong, sophisticated government, community laws and customs, religion, fear of god, and Herodotus giving us his opinion about the morality and probability of it all. It’s amazing how much and really how little has changed in all these years.

JANICE

I really enjoyed this first known social history, learning about the B.C. world with all its barbarisms, weirdnesses, atrocities, and tyrannies, and also its honor, sacrifice, bravery, and love of freedom. I see how whole cultures have come to pass and when it comes to human nature there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes). EXCEPT one thing: Herodotus did not mention the terrible sexualization of children which we are seeing today. Histories of civilzations all have a lot in common, I suppose because the earth's resources and human nature are timeless. Like I just read in A Canticle for Leibowitz, if everything was destroyed and man started over, the same sort of things would be rediscovered, the same kind of wars fought, the same types of tyrants wrould rise to power, the same train of troubles would evolve. Everyone needs to read Herodotus. He was a wise man, wiser than many of our leaders today. His words help me understand the climate and tone of the times, and how Jesus coming caused such a huge spiritual upheaval.

JULIA

Yay, a few more pages and I'll be done with The Histories, a long and sometimes arduous battle, but full of familiar tales, characters, predicaments, and parallels in my own life as well as history that I have personally witnessed.

Now the tale is told and read. Thank you Herodotus. Thank you translator, Aubrey de Selincourt. The language was colorful and fun to read, H. was a great observer and story-teller, and philosopher. On page 595, "Many things make it plain to me that the hand of God is active in human affairs . . . giving every man greater courage for the coming battle and fiercer determination to risk his life for his country." Amen.