![]() ![]() He explains in his opening why he needs to urge caution when reading the Histories: Ancient writers have frequently offered sharp and unrelenting criticism Plutarch went as far as to compose a work in his ‘honour’: On the Malignity of Herodotus. The veracity of Herodotus’ stories has been disputed since antiquity. How Much Truth is There in Herodotus’ Histories ? Herodotus Histories, 1584, The New York Public Library In the same book, he relates the legend of Helen and Paris spending some time in Egypt after having fled the royal palace of Sparta and before the commencement of the Trojan War (Hdt. The second book, dealing with Egyptian custom, is named after the Muse Euterpe, goddess of lyric poetry whose name means ‘giver of delight or joy.’ Herodotus had a great interest in religious practice and has a lot to say about the Egyptian gods. ![]() Later the Alexandrian philologists divided them into nine books, each bearing the name of one of the Muses. His Histories, written in 430 BC, were divided most probably by himself into 28 sections called logoi. In their ease of pace and variety they rival the best tales ever told. Herodotus’ Histories are filled with intriguing details about exotic people, far-away places, moral tales and unfamiliar beasts. He was, we could say, the perfect entertainer. He had a great talent for telling a good story and a love of other cultures. Herodotus is the first writer to compose history in the sense that we understand it today. Herodotus’ Histories Herodotus, 1908, The New York Public Library ![]()
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