Ancient Greek Reading Group: Herodotus’ Histories
“The following is the demonstration of Herodotus the Halicarnassian’s inquiry [historia].” So begins the earliest “history” of Greece: its kings, tyrants, and early democratic leaders, the Greco-Persian wars, the rise of Athens and Sparta, the geography and customs of Egypt and of many of the other empires of the Mediterranean world. What does Herodotus mean by the word “inquiry” and why does he begin with a multitude of mythological accounts that reach back to the period of the Trojan War and its aftermath? What can we learn from a comparison of Herodotus to Thucydides, who in the History of the Peloponnesian War pointedly avoids the word historia, instead using new terms like “examine” or “evidence”?
In this reading group, we’ll read selections from Book I of Herodotus’ Histories in the original Greek, including the story of Medea and the encounter between Solon and the King of Lydia, Croesus, in which they discuss eudaimonia (happiness). As we read, we’ll consider how Herodotus alters long-established myths, his methods of inquiry, the implications of his treatment of happiness and other philosophical concepts, and the modern classification of his work as “myth-history.”
Course Schedule
Thursday, 6:30-8:30pm ETMay 07 — June 11, 2026
6 weeks
$335.00
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