Herodotus

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

An inscription recently found in Herodotus’ home town Halicarnassus calls him the “prose Homer of history”. Herodotus’ history of the Persian Wars of the fifth century BCE is epic in scale, and its style is unforgettable. In this course, we will read in Greek substantial selections from the Histories, focusing first on Croesus of Lydia and Cyrus, the founder of the Persian empire, in Book 1. After reading short selections from Books 2 and 3, we will proceed to the battle of Marathon and Xerxes’ expedition against Greece (Books 6-9). We will consider the text of Herodotus as a whole in English translation. In addition to quizzes and a final exam on translation, students will complete a short research exercise.