A Commentary on Herodotus in Two Volumes: With Introduction and Appendixes Volume 2 (Books V-IX) - Softcover

How, W. W.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0198721390 ISBN 13: 9780198721390

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA, 1990

Synopsis

Herodotus, referred to by Cicero and others as "the father of history" was the first to make the events of the past the subject of research and verification, and to relate their consequences to the present. In this commentary on Histories, an account of the struggle between Persia and Greece from the time of Croesus to that of Xerxes, How and Wells show that there are frequent digressions that give a wealth of information about the customs and cultures of peoples foreign to the Greeks. Providing a standard commentary of the Histories, this two-volume work will interest scholars as well as students. The authors offer short summaries introducing the subject matter of each section, a full introduction on Herodotus's life and style, and fifteen appendices that cover problems of text and content.

About this title

Synopsis

Herodotus has been called by Cicero and other ancient critics 'the father of history'. He was in fact the first to make the events of the past the subject of research and verification (historie) and then relate their consequences to the present. The main subject of his Histories is the struggle between Persia and Greece from the time of Croesus to that of Xerxes; added to this are frequent digressions, varying in length, giving a wealth of information on customs and cultures of people foreign to the Greeks. The new paperback edition of How and Wells's standard commentary on the Histories (in print continuously since 1912) deals with the last five books (out of nine) covering Sparta under King Cleomenes, the Battles of Marathon, Thermopylae, and Salamis, and the final rout of the Persians at Plataea in 479 BC. The detailed commentary, though of interest to the scholar, is aimed primarily at the student: short summaries introduce the subject-matter of sections of the text, and there are eight appendixes addressing problems raised in the commentary. This volume also contains an index to the complete commentary.

About the Author

W.W. How is at Merton College, Oxford. J. Wells is at Wadham College, Oxford.

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Publication date: 1990
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0198721390
• ISBN 13: 9780198721390
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 460