The Cambridge Companion to Herodotus

Herodotus, popularly known as the ‘Father of History’, is the first major prose writer in the history of Western literature whose work has survived in full. At a time when the ancient Greeks’ knowledge of the past relied on orally transmitted memories, he was a pioneering historical practitioner who explored the interplay of myth and history and the role of narrative in history. In this volume a team of experts discusses Herodotus’ Histories and their influence. Taking a thematic approach, it explores the Histories and their context, their techniques and themes, their representation of the Greeks’ relationships with foreigners and their reception. Topics covered include the Histories’ relationship to Homer, their view of the natural world, their methodology and the Herodotean narrator. Each chapter presents the most up-to-date scholarship on Herodotus and offers a guide to further reading on the subject.