Herodotus

Herodotus: Histories Book VIII (eBook, PDF)

• Format: PDF

Produktbeschreibung

The Battle of Salamis was the first great (and unexpected) victory of the Greeks over the Persian forces under Xerxes, whose defeat had important consequences for the subsequent history and self-image of Europe. This battle forms the centre-piece of book VIII of Herodotus' Histories. The book also illuminates Greek views of themselves and of peoples from the East, the problematic relationships between different Greek states in the face of the invasion, and the role of the divine in history. This introduction and commentary pays particular attention to the history and culture of Achaemenid Persia and the peoples of its empire. It offers much help with the language of the text (which has been prepared for ease of reading), and deals with major literary and historical questions. It will be of especial use to intermediate and advanced Greek students, but also provides up-to-date scholarly materials for graduate students and professional classicists.

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: Cambridge University Press
• Erscheinungstermin: 13. Dezember 2007
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781316138267
• Artikelnr.: 48569948

Autorenporträt

Herodotus (c.¿484 - c.¿425 BC) was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus in the Persian Empire (modern-day Bodrum, Turkey). He is known for having written the book The Histories, a detailed record of his inquiry on the origins of the Greco-Persian Wars. He is widely considered to have been the first writer to have treated historical subjects using a method of systematic investigation-specifically, by collecting his materials and then critically arranging them into an historiographic narrative. On account of this, he is often referred to as The Father of History, a title first conferred on him by the first-century BC Roman orator Cicero. Despite Herodotus's historical significance, little is known about his personal life. His Histories primarily deals with the lives of Croesus, Cyrus, Cambyses, Smerdis, Darius, and Xerxes and the battles of Marathon, Thermopylae, Artemisium, Salamis, Plataea, and Mycale; however, his many cultural, ethnographical, geographical, historiographical, and other digressions form a defining and essential part of The Histories and contain a wealth of information. Herodotus has been criticized for the fact that his book includes many obvious legends and fanciful accounts. Many authors, starting with the late fifth-century BC historian Thucydides, have accused him of making up stories for entertainment. However, Herodotus states that he is merely reporting what he has seen and heard. A sizable portion of the information he provides has since been confirmed by historians and archaeologists.

Inhaltsangabe

Introduction
1. Medes and Persians
2. Greeks and Persians
3. Xerxes in Herodotus
4. Achaemenid campaigns
5. Battle of Book 8
6. Structure and narrative modes
7. The language of Herodotus
8. Life of Herodotus
9. The text
Commentary.