Reading Herodotus
“Herodotus of Halicarnassus here displays his inquiry, so that human achievements may not become forgotten in time, and great and marvelous deeds—some displayed by Greeks, some by barbarians—may not be without their glory; and especially to show why the two peoples fought with each other.” So begins Herodotus’ “Inquiries,” aka “Histories.” Herodotus’ accounts of Egypt, Scythia, Lydia, Babylonia, Mesopotamia, and Libya (books I-IV) lay the foundation for his account of the Persian Wars (V-IX). The relation between Greekness and human freedom emerges as the theme of that war.