The Histories of Herodotus inaugurate Western history-writing in spectacular fashion with an exciting account of the war between Persians and Greeks which ushered in the era of Athenian supremacy and the golden age of Pericles. Traditionally known as the Father of History, Herodotus (484–424 BC) was the first man to tell a story in prose on the scale of the Iliad. With a powerful narrative style and a sharp eye for character, he recounts events swiftly and vividly, and drama is rarely far away. At the same time, he describes in detail the strange customs of the alien people involved – Medes, Persians, Egyptians – providing an invaluable social and historical record. Herodotus is not merely a story-teller; he is also political commentator, geographer, anthropologist and philosopher. The model and the source for later historians, this book is one of the founding classics of Western civilization. George Rawlinson’s translation, first published in 1858, is still agreed by most scholars to be the best in English. Rawlinson’s voluminous notes have been condensed for this edition, in which the text has been revised by Rosalind Thomas, who also introduces the book.

About the Author

Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus in the Persian Empire. 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 a historiographic narrative. He is often referred to as "The Father of History," a title first conferred on him by the first-century BC Roman orator Cicero.