Histories Author:Herodotus A Living History Over 2500 Years Old — The classic Histories of Herodotus has fascinated readers for centuries for a variety of reasons. One, of course, is its brilliantly detailed picture of life in the ancient world during the period when the city-states of Athens and Sparta held off the westward sweep of the Persian Empire. But even more app... more »ealing is the work's reflection of the avid curiosity Herodotus had about every fact, theory, and even rumor he could find concerning the marvels of the world outside Greece-the legendary dynasties of Babylond and Sumeria, the Egypt of the Sphinx and the Pharaohs, the mysterious regions of Central Asia and beyond. At one time much of what Herodotus recorded was consider myth-montains springing from jungles with snow at their peaks; gigantic hairy manlike beasts swinging from trees; tropical islands that gave off the perfume of spices. Today, when many of his most outrageous tales have been confirmed, Herodotus continues to teach us about the origins of our history and culture, and what it means to be human. More than two millennia after his death, his Histories is more alive then ever.
Herodotus was born in Halicarnassus in Asia Minor sometime in the early fifth century B.C. He traveled to Greece and seems to have spent much of his life in an Athenian settlement in southern Italy, where he composed the Histories. Like details of much of his life, the date of his death is uncertain, but thought to be around 425 B.C.« less