Histories (Herodotus)

Lore & Background

Herodotus claims to have traveled extensively around the ancient world, conducting interviews and collecting stories for his book, almost all of which covers territories of the Persian Empire. At the beginning of The Histories, Herodotus sets out his reasons for writing it: to prevent the traces of human events from being erased by time, and to preserve the fame of the important and remarkable achievements produced by both Greeks and non-Greeks; among the matters covered is, in particular, the cause of the hostilities between Greeks and non-Greeks. The Histories also stands as one of the earliest accounts of the rise of the Persian Empire, as well as the events and causes of the Greco-Persian Wars between the Persian Empire and the Greek city-states in the 5th century BC. Herodotus portrays the conflict as one between the forces of slavery (the Persians) on the one hand, and freedom (the Athenians and the confederacy of Greek city-states which united against the invaders) on the other. The Histories was at some point divided into the nine books that appear in modern editions, conventionally named after the nine Muses.

Reader's Guide

The Histories established the genre and study of history in the Western world, though historical records and chronicles did exist beforehand. It remains one of the West's most important sources regarding the affairs it covers, despite not being a fully impartial record. The work provides one of the earliest accounts of the rise of the Persian Empire and the Greco-Persian Wars, framing the conflict as a struggle between slavery and freedom. The oldest extant copy of Histories by Herodotus are manuscripts from the Byzantine period dating back to the 9th and 10th centuries CE (the Codex Laurentianus Codex A). The work's influence endures as a foundational text for historical inquiry and narrative.

Did You Know?

• The Histories was at some point divided into nine books, conventionally named after the nine Muses.
• The oldest extant copy of the Histories is a Byzantine manuscript from the 9th or 10th century CE.
• Herodotus portrays the Greco-Persian conflict as one between the forces of slavery (Persians) and freedom (Greek city-states).
• The work covers the abductions of Io, Europa, and Medea as precursors to later conflicts between Asia and Europe.