The History of Herodotus — Volume 1

About this book

Herodotus of Halicarnassus opens by saying that he writes so that the great deeds of men may not be forgotten. This first volume contains Books I to IV of the Histories. They tell of Croesus, the rich king of Lydia, warned by Solon to call no man happy until he is dead; the rise of Cyrus and the Persian Empire; a long description of Babylon, its walls, its temples and its customs; a whole book on Egypt, the Nile, the pyramids, embalming and the priests of Memphis; and the campaigns of Cambyses and Darius, including his expedition against the Scythians north of the Black Sea.

Context and significance

Herodotus (about 484–425 BC) travelled widely to gather his stories, and Cicero called him the father of history; his later books tell of the Persian invasions of Greece. He is curious about every people he meets and often lets them speak for themselves. This translation is by G. C. Macaulay. His successor was Thucydides, author of The History of the Peloponnesian War.

About the author

Herodotus (c. 484–425 BC) was born in Halicarnassus, today's Bodrum in Turkey, and travelled widely in Egypt, Babylon, the Black Sea and Greece, asking questions everywhere he went. His Histories tell the story of the wars between the Greeks and the Persian Empire, and of the peoples involved, their customs, their gods and their legends.

Cicero called him the Father of History, and he was the first to set out to investigate the causes of events rather than simply record them. His book on Egypt, which the library also holds on its own as An Account of Egypt, is full of wonders, some true and some not, and remains a delight to read.