Herodotus: New book with new translation changes perceptions of the great historian
Egypt, Herodotus tells us in “The Histories,” is a land with “more marvels and monuments that defy description than any other.” Not only is the Nile unlike any other river in the world, overflowing its banks in summer not in the early spring, but Egypt’s inhabitants also have “manners and customs” that in most ways are “completely opposite to those of other peoples.” Women go to the marketplace to sell goods, while men stay home to weave cloth; men carry loads on their heads, while women bear them on their shoulders; and “women urinate standing up, men sitting down.”
Not a single aspect of life in fifth century B.C., from the most intimate to the most ceremonial, seems to have escaped Herodotus’ gaze. And since he traveled through much of the known world, he had many things to say about manners and customs, gathering oral histories and anecdotes about long-lost tribes, assessing their accuracy and accounting for varied fates.
There is good reason for Herodotus being called the father of history. Before him we have no records of any seemingly dispassionate observer doing anything similar.
But that alone would not explain why Herodotus is still so imposing a figure, or why the publication of “The Landmark Herodotus” (Pantheon) — which includes a new translation by Andrea L. Purvis, and extensive annotation by scholars — is such a worthy occasion for celebrating Herodotus’ contemporary importance.
It may even be that this book makes Herodotus seem less monumental than he appears in other editions, as mystery is stripped away from the book’s exotic allusions and geography. Maps — 127 of them — outline Herodotus’ world; even the text is clearly mapped out, with wide margins offering summaries of each paragraph and identifying the time period....
Read entire article at Edward Rothstein in the NYT
Not a single aspect of life in fifth century B.C., from the most intimate to the most ceremonial, seems to have escaped Herodotus’ gaze. And since he traveled through much of the known world, he had many things to say about manners and customs, gathering oral histories and anecdotes about long-lost tribes, assessing their accuracy and accounting for varied fates.
There is good reason for Herodotus being called the father of history. Before him we have no records of any seemingly dispassionate observer doing anything similar.
But that alone would not explain why Herodotus is still so imposing a figure, or why the publication of “The Landmark Herodotus” (Pantheon) — which includes a new translation by Andrea L. Purvis, and extensive annotation by scholars — is such a worthy occasion for celebrating Herodotus’ contemporary importance.
It may even be that this book makes Herodotus seem less monumental than he appears in other editions, as mystery is stripped away from the book’s exotic allusions and geography. Maps — 127 of them — outline Herodotus’ world; even the text is clearly mapped out, with wide margins offering summaries of each paragraph and identifying the time period....