Furman Classics. Dramaturg Editions. C. Blackwell, 2026. CC-BY-NC. Code and instructions on Github.

Herodotus, Histories

Herodotus, Histories. Digital Edition based on: Herodotus, with an English translation, A.D. Godley ed. Cambridge. Harvard University Press (1920). Original SGML digital edition 1988 by The Perseus Project, G. Crane, ed. This derived edition, C. Blackwell, Furman University. 2026. Source texts and code for this page (and others) on GitHub. Licensed CC-BY-NC. urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001

Table of Contents

Books 1–8
Book 1
Passages 1.0–1.10
Passages 1.11–1.24
Passages 1.25–1.35
Passages 1.36–1.47
Passages 1.48–1.59
Passages 1.60–1.68
Passages 1.69–1.76
Passages 1.77–1.84
Passages 1.85–1.92
Passages 1.93–1.102
Passages 1.103–1.111
Passages 1.112–1.119
Passages 1.120–1.129
Passages 1.130–1.141
Passages 1.142–1.154
Passages 1.155–1.165
Passages 1.166–1.177
Passages 1.178–1.185
Passages 1.186–1.193
Passages 1.194–1.203
Passages 1.204–1.214
Passages 1.215–1.216
Book 2
Passages 2.t–2.10
Passages 2.11–2.18
Passages 2.19–2.29
Passages 2.30–2.37
Passages 2.38–2.45
Passages 2.46–2.54
Passages 2.55–2.67
Passages 2.68–2.80
Passages 2.81–2.93
Passages 2.94–2.104
Passages 2.105–2.114
Passages 2.115–2.123
Passages 2.124–2.134
Passages 2.135–2.143
Passages 2.145–2.152
Passages 2.153–2.161
Passages 2.162–2.173
Passages 2.174–2.182
Book 3
Passages 3.t–3.9
Passages 3.10–3.20
Passages 3.21–3.28
Passages 3.29–3.37
Passages 3.38–3.47
Passages 3.48–3.59
Passages 3.60–3.68
Passages 3.69–3.77
Passages 3.78–3.85
Passages 3.86–3.97
Passages 3.98–3.108
Passages 3.109–3.121
Passages 3.122–3.130
Passages 3.131–3.139
Passages 3.140–3.151
Passages 3.152–3.160
Book 4
Passages 4.t–4.10
Passages 4.11–4.22
Passages 4.23–4.34
Passages 4.35–4.45
Passages 4.46–4.60
Passages 4.61–4.71
Passages 4.72–4.80
Passages 4.81–4.94
Passages 4.95–4.107
Passages 4.108–4.119
Passages 4.120–4.131
Passages 4.132–4.144
Passages 4.145–4.154
Passages 4.155–4.163
Passages 4.164–4.179
Passages 4.180–4.191
Passages 4.192–4.205
Book 5
Passages 5.t–5.15
Passages 5.16–5.24
Passages 5.25–5.35
Passages 5.36–5.48
Passages 5.49–5.62
Passages 5.63–5.72
Passages 5.73–5.86
Passages 5.87–5.92g
Passages 5.92d–5.100
Passages 5.101–5.113
Passages 5.114–5.126
Book 6
Passages 6.t–6.13
Passages 6.14–6.30
Passages 6.31–6.42
Passages 6.43–6.55
Passages 6.56–6.65
Passages 6.66–6.76
Passages 6.77–6.91
Passages 6.92–6.105
Passages 6.106–6.117
Passages 6.118–6.128
Passages 6.129–6.140
Book 7
Passages 7.t–7.9a
Passages 7.9b–7.13
Passages 7.14–7.22
Passages 7.23–7.37
Passages 7.38–7.49
Passages 7.50–7.63
Passages 7.64–7.86
Passages 7.87–7.101
Passages 7.102–7.113
Passages 7.114–7.128
Passages 7.129–7.138
Passages 7.139–7.146
Passages 7.147–7.155
Passages 7.156–7.166
Passages 7.167–7.175
Passages 7.176–7.188
Passages 7.189–7.202
Passages 7.203–7.213
Passages 7.214–7.224
Passages 7.225–7.236
Passages 7.237–7.239
Book 8
Passages 8.137–8.144
Passages 8.t–8.14
Passages 8.15–8.29
Passages 8.30–8.45
Passages 8.46–8.60g
Passages 8.61–8.71
Passages 8.72–8.83
Passages 8.84–8.93
Passages 8.94–8.105
Passages 8.106–8.113
Passages 8.114–8.126
Passages 8.127–8.136
Book 9
Passages 9.t–9.13
Passages 9.14–9.22
Passages 9.23–9.32
Passages 9.33–9.42
Passages 9.43–9.52
Passages 9.53–9.65
Passages 9.66–9.78
Passages 9.79–9.88
Passages 9.89–9.99
Passages 9.100–9.109
Passages 9.110–9.122

Herodotus

Herodotus (Ancient Greek: Ἡρόδοτος, romanized: Hēródotos; c. 484 – c. 425 BCE) was an ancient Greek historian and geographer from Halicarnassus (Ancient Greek: Ἁλικαρνασσός, romanized: Halikarnassós), a Dorian Greek city in southwestern Asia Minor (modern Bodrum, Turkey), renowned as the "Father of History" for authoring Ἱστορίαι (Historíai; The Histories), the earliest surviving work of historiography in Western literature that systematically investigates the origins, causes, and course of the Greco-Persian Wars (499–449 BCE).

The Histories

Herodotus's Histories, his sole surviving work, derives its title from the ancient Greek term historie, signifying "inquiry" or "investigation," reflecting the author's methodical approach to gathering and presenting information. The composition likely occurred in stages between approximately 450 and 425 BCE, beginning during Herodotus's extensive travels and continuing into his later years in Thurii, where he settled as a colonist around 443 BCE after participating in the Panhellenic foundation of the city. Scholars infer this timeline from internal references to events, such as allusions to the early Peloponnesian War, and from biographical details placing the final redaction in Thurii, suggesting an iterative process of research, oral testing, and revision rather than a single burst of writing.

The Histories centers on the causes and course of the Greco-Persian Wars (499–449 BCE), presenting them as a monumental clash between the expansive forces of the East, embodied by the Persian Empire, and the resilient city-states of the West, particularly Greece. The narrative traces the origins of Persian dominance and its eventual confrontations with Greek resistance, weaving in extensive accounts of the peoples, customs, and landscapes encountered along the way. This framework allows Herodotus to explore not only military events but also the broader cultural interactions that shaped the ancient world, from the opulent courts of Asia Minor to the nomadic steppes beyond.