The Histories

The Persian Wars

By: Herodotus, A. D. Godley Translator

Narrated by: Charlton Griffin

Herodotus was a Greek historian born in Halicarnassus, subject at the time of the great Persian Empire. He lived in the fifth century BC (c. 484 - c. 425 BC), a contemporary of Socrates. He is often referred to as "The Father of History", a title originally conferred by Cicero.

Herodotus was the first historian known to have broken from Homeric tradition in order to treat historical subjects as a method of investigation, specifically by collecting his materials in a critical, systematic fashion and then arranging them into a chronological narrative. The Histories (also known as The Persian Wars) is the only work Herodotus is known to have produced. It is a record of his inquiry into the origins of the Greco-Persian Wars, including a wealth of geographical and ethnographical information. Some of his stories were fanciful and others inaccurate. Yet he states that he was reporting only what he was told. A sizable portion of the information he provided was later confirmed by historians and archaeologists.

Despite Herodotus' historical significance, very little is known of his personal life and academic history. The work is divided into nine sections, or "books". This version of The Histories is by A. D. Godley, first published in 1920.

Download the accompanying reference guide.Public Domain (P)2017 Audio Connoisseur

very Long

Great narration. It never ceases to amaze me how bloodthirsty these people were. I'm really surprised that Herodotus was allowed to live to travel and gather all these stories

Amazing History

Well done. A story all should hear, not just historians like myself. A story of the Greeks repelling Persian armies. Go Spartiates!

No wonder I could never get through it

I have tried to read this many times but so many odd names and places each with the son of son of ... much easier to listen to someone that knows the pronunciation, it flows better than reading it.

great narration makes this book enjoyable

There is no way I could enjoy a book with all these hard names reading it, and I love ancient history. Thankfully They got a Narrator that is amazing.

Highly Recomend

Filled with interesting stories from Herodotus' travels, stories he heard, actions of the gods, and major events of the time. He gives his opinions on many of these stories from cyclops men in the North to fox sized ants that Indians collect gold from in the desert. He also recorded a great deal of fascinating customs and histories of the places he visited. After telling some of them he often gives his opinion and sometimes even simply says he doesn't believe it’s true.
Events that make up major parts of the book are the Ionian revolt against Persia and the Persian invasion of Greece. I was happily a little surprised by just how accurate the 2006 film 300 actually is.

The reading performance by Charlton Griffin was as great as usual and the clips of music between chapters were also great touches. I feel like it is exactly how this kind of history is meant to be presented.