7 Surprising Stories from Herodotus' Histories

Video

by Kelly Macquire
published on 07 November 2021

The ancient historian Herodotus was a Greek writer who lived in the midst of the 5th century BCE. He is known as the Father of History which was a title first given to him by the Roman orator Cicero for his famous work The Histories. In this video, we take a look at 7 of the most surprising stories from Herodotus' Histories. Herodotus’ Histories is a 9 book tome that provides a detailed account of the Greco-Persian wars, as well as observations and stories from his travels to Greece, Egypt, and Asia Minor. Although some of the information has been challenged as exaggerated or incorrect (which can in some instances be blamed on issues of translation), he is still recognised as the father of history, with many of his accounts being confirmed by archaeological evidence!

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— CHAPTERS —
0:00​ Introduction
0:54 Who is Herodotus?
1:55 An Introduction to Herodotus' Histories
3:04 Book One - Croseus vs. The Oracle of Delphi
6:09 Book One - Babylonian Customs
7:42 Book Two - Egyptian Veneration and Care for Animals
9:22 Book Three - Indians and Their Gold Digging Ants
11:35 Book Four - The Agathyrsoi and The Werewolves
12:28 Book Four - The Gindanes, The Lotus Eaters and The Garamantes
13:48 Book Five - The Cross-Dressing Plot to Kill Some Persians
15L57 Outro

— WANT TO KNOW MORE? —
Herodotus https://www.worldhistory.org/herodotus/
Herodotus in Art https://www.worldhistory.org/article/768/herodotus-in-art/
Herodotus: On the Customs of the Persians https://www.worldhistory.org/article/149/herodotus-on-the-customs-of-the-persians/
Herodotus on Lydia https://www.worldhistory.org/article/81/herodotus-on-lydia/
Herodotus on Babylon https://www.worldhistory.org/article/84/herodotus-on-babylon/
Herodotus on the Egyptians https://www.worldhistory.org/article/86/herodotus-on-the-egyptians/

— WATCH NEXT —
The Ancient City of Babylon: History of the Babylonian Empire https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-ZGsqwXsNM
History of the Scythians: an Ancient Nomadic Culture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kbu7Q3FMJ5Q
The Persian Wars: Ancient Greece vs. the Achaemenid Persian Empire https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBd2TnswJBM
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: an Overview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YWPMZ6pHm8

— ATTRIBUTIONS —
You can find all attribution and credits for images, animations, graphics and music here - https://worldhistory.typehut.com/7-surprising-stories-from-herodotus-histories-images-and-attributions-6695

The music used in this recording is the intellectual copyright of Michael Levy, a prolific composer for the recreated lyres of antiquity, and used with the creator's permission. Michael Levy's music is available to stream at all the major digital music platforms. Find out more on:
https://www.ancientlyre.com
https://open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5v?si=emacIH9CRieFNGXRUyJ9
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ1X6F7lGMEadnNETSzTv8A

— THUMBNAIL IMAGE —
File:Edwin Long 001.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edwin_Long_001.jpg
Edwin Long
The Yorck Project (2002) 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei (DVD-ROM), distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH. ISBN: 3936122202.
The reproduction is part of a collection of reproductions compiled by The Yorck Project. The compilation copyright is held by Zenodot Verlagsgesellschaft mbH and licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_Free_Documentation_License

World History Encyclopedia
www.worldhistory.org

#herodotus #herodotushistories #herodotusthehistories

About the Author

Kelly Macquire

Kelly is a graduate from Monash University who has completed her BA (Honours) in Ancient History and Archaeology, focussing on iconography and status in Pylos burials. She has a passion for mythology and the Aegean Bronze Age.

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