Herodotus

I finished the Histories last night, and find I don't have much to say about them. Part of the problem is that they're just so broad and far-ranging. I almost feel like I write a few paragraphs about each book, but I frankly don't want to spend the time.

I think one thing that really struck me is how much Herodotus's personality and interests seem to come through the writing. He's very rationalistic in some ways -- he doesn't like legends very much, and tries to figure out a reasonable explanation for them. (The Trojan War happened because Helen was stuck in Egypt; Darius was raised by a woman named Kyno, not by a she-wolf; etc). Yet at the same time, he seems to believe in oracles and the gods implicitly -- disasters befall those who violate the gods' temples, and oracles always end up coming true (or the oracle was lying).

He's very inclusive. He'll tell you a story, even if he doesn't believe it. (Interestingly, some of those stories he doesn't believe are now thought to be true, because of archeological evidence unavailable to Herodotus.)

The other thing about Herodotus is that he's very lively -- I found that the characters seem to come alive more than they do in Thucidydes. I only remember a few impressions of the people in Thucidydes -- principally Cleon and Pericles. Whereas I feel like I'll remember Themistocles, Xerxes, Artambrazos, and others for a longer time. (OTOH, Thucidydes is much clearer about the over-all progress of his war -- it's much easier to see the big picture)