Herodotus the Histories - Robin Waterfield

So Herodotus magnificently begins his great work centred on the clash between a few scarcely united Greck city states and the huge invading army of the Persian empire at the beginning of the fifth century BC–a clash from which, against all the odds, the Greeks emerged victorious. The moment was critical, and paved the way for the Golden Age of Athens and its tar-reaching influence on modern culture

Herodotus is not only the ‘father of history, but also the father of ethnography; as well as charting the historical background to the Persian Wars. his curiosity promors frequent digressions on the cultures of the peoples he introduces. While much of the information he gives has proved to be astonishingly accurate, he also entertains us with delightful tales of one-eyed men and gold-digging ants. This superbly readable new translation is supplemented by a fresh scholarly perspective that breaks new ground in Herodotean studies, providing readers with all they need to appreciate the book in depth.