Herodotus: The Father of History
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Herodotus: The Father of History
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Narrated by:
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Elizabeth Vandiver
About this listen
Witness the "works and wonders" of the ancient world through the eyes of its first great historian in this sparkling series of 24 lectures from a much-honored teacher and classical scholar.
Herodotus (c. 484-420 B.C.E.) was a Greek who was born in what is now the modern Turkish resort town of Bodrum and who died, so tradition says, in the south of Italy. In between, his tirelessly inquiring mind took him from one corner of the known world to another. And he reported on or visited all of its continents (Europe, Asia, and Africa) to write about the vast array of subjects that captured his interest. These included the "great works" of the ancient land of Egypt; the remarkable kings who built the vast Persian Empire; and the strange customs and unlikely origins of the Scythians, a warlike, mounted people who lived beyond the Danube and whose repulse of Darius and the Persians in 513 B.C.E. made them the first Europeans to throw back an eastern invasion.
The book that emerged from these "inquiries" - The Histories - is Herodotus's only known work, yet it still made Herodotus one of the rare, landmark figures in the story of thought. In these lectures, Professor Vandiver introduces you to Herodotus and The Histories, tracing the influences he assimilated and the new methods he used in crafting this monumental work. You learn how that work looked at the past in new and fresh ways, seeing it not as a distant recess shrouded in legend and rumor, but as something that lies close at hand; as something that immediately affects the here and now, and as a subject whose great personalities and patterns of events can be studied in order to make the reasons behind them as clear as possible.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.
©2002 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2002 The Great CoursesWhat listeners say about Herodotus: The Father of History
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- Kateeliz
- 09-11-2017
Extremely satisfying
Professor Vandiver is an amazing lecturer! Thorough, captivating and rigorous. Looking forward to revisiting Herodotus!
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- Ben Aaron
- 13-12-2018
An excellent erudite well presented work
This has been of the highest order of thought and preparation. The presenter does the work justice in insight and delivery. Herodotus would be delighted I guess to have had such care and consideration paid to the great effort he made to bring us insight.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- William T.
- 18-02-2019
Entertaining, passionate, fascinating, educational.
This is a wonderful audio book, the author carries you along on the tide of her enthusiasm. Deeply erudite and meaningful. I learned a lot, not only about Herodotus but about the ancient world in general; so many memorable stories. Definitely worth it and I will listen to it all again.
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- Alexander Emslie
- 27-09-2016
A must read for anyone interested in Greek/Persian history
Thanks to Professor Vandiver for a marvellously presented course. Meticulously assembled. I shall revisit the course and "The Histories" many times.
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- Mark Henwood
- 08-03-2020
Entertaining and Informative
Great introduction to the Histories of Herodotus, and recommended to anyone prior to reading one of the translations of the text.
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- Anonymous User
- 07-04-2022
Amazing lecture for any student of history.
Elizabeth Vandiver is my favourite author on the classics. She has such an amazing speaking voice and is so clear and insightful. Great stuff.
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- Amazon Customer
- 04-05-2024
Great!
I have listened to a few Great Courses with Professor Elizabeth Vandiver and she is excellent every time. This is no exception. If you’re interested in supplementing your reading of Herodotus this is the perfect accompaniment.
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