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Histories
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 27 hrs and 28 mins
- Categories: History, Ancient History
Non-member price: $55.66
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Publisher's Summary
In this, the first prose history in European civilization, Herodotus describes the growth of the Persian Empire with force, authority, and style. Perhaps most famously, the book tells the heroic tale of the Greeks' resistance to the vast invading force assembled by Xerxes, king of Persia. Here are not only the great battles - Marathon, Thermopylae, and Salamis - but also penetrating human insight and a powerful sense of epic destiny at work.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
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What listeners say about Histories
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- John Simpson
- 09-12-2019
Listen to Herodotus teach you through time.
If you would like to expand your knowledge of classical Greek history, then the 'Histories' is the place to turn to. Herodotus covers the origin of the Graeco-Persian conflict of the fifth/sixth centuries BC. You'll recognise famous battles such as Marathon, Thermopylae and Plataea, as well as the names of great figures: Cyrus, Darius, Xerxes and Leonodis, among others. This translation reads well, and the narration matches the tone, weaving the account in engaging detail. Listening to the Histories is special, considering how close Herodotus was to being a contemporary of these events. We can be thankful that his work has survived two-and-a-half thousand years. One of the top one-hundred to read in your lifetime.
1 person found this helpful
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- John
- 06-11-2016
Very Entertaining
Any additional comments?
I am a big history fan. However, I hesitated to purchase Herodotus' Histories as I was concerned it might be excessively archaic, difficult to follow, etc. Not so! The narrative is very entertaining, mixing history, anthropology, and myth. The reader is terrific--he seems perfectly suited to the material. I highly recommend this audio book to fans of history, and of the ancient Near East in particular.
140 people found this helpful
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- John
- 07-10-2019
Herodotus + Vandiver = 2 Well-Spent Credits
Late in his life, Churchill was asked which year of that eventful life he would most like to relive. He responded unhesitatingly: 1940. Existential conflicts, where all the chips are on the table and the life or death of a culture hangs in the balance, have that kind of totemic power. It’s why we never tire of reliving that year in books and films. And it’s one of the reasons—perhaps the main reason—why Herodotus’ account of the years 490 and 480-479 BC never seem to gather as much dust as other ancient books. Granted, the two failed Persian invasions of Greece take up a mere fraction of the Histories (and the final fraction at that.) But everything that goes before is an essential prelude. After all, for Herodotus, the Persian Wars are just the most recent chapter in a conflict that predates even the Trojan War. The setting of the drama is the eastern Mediterranean and western Asia; Herodotus paints a vivid picture of the customs and commerce, conflicts and conquests that shaped that vast region up until the final Greco-Persian showdown. It’s a tremendously entertaining story in and of itself. Admittedly, there are moments—frequent with me—when you ask questions like, “Were the Persians really named after Perseus?” or “Why doesn’t Herodotus accept the theory that melting snow makes the Nile flood?” Here’s where I can’t recommend Professor Elizabeth Vandiver’s lectures on the Histories too highly. Listening to both recordings in tandem, the lectures become your footnotes (and Cliff’s Notes), giving everything from illuminating details to the broader intellectual milieu in which Herodotus worked and the shape of the book he left us. Plus, she’s a great teacher. David Timson turns in his usual spectacular performance here, rendering even the more tedious passages—such as the Homeric catalogue of Persian forces—listenable. For over 27 hours, he knows precisely where to place every emphasis and inuendo.
58 people found this helpful
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- Eve Howard
- 14-10-2017
Bloody Good Read!
The father of historical writing describes the granddaddy of all wars, the Greco-Persian conflicts, in biblically gory detail. This is much too exciting and dreadful to listen to right before going to bed. It's a magnificent tale, not only of wars but of cultures, customs and shocking rituals. Anyone who loves histories will eat this book up, and it's read charmingly too.
53 people found this helpful
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- Emily
- 19-07-2016
Best of Audible's "The Histories" by Herodotus
Any additional comments? "The Histories," by ancient Greek historian, Herodotus, is full of myths, folklore, legends, historical facts and tall tales. Herodotus basically traveled around the ancient world asking people questions about their lives and cultures and histories, and then wrote down whatever they told him. Because of this reporting style he is known as both the Father of History and The Father of Lies. Whether he records true tales or tall tales, it is interesting to know what ancient people said and thought about their world. He covers a lot of ground, figuratively and literally. His writing style flows like the Meander river; full of twists and turns. I've listened to all the versions available on Audible up to 2016, and I feel David Timson's narration is best suited to Herodotus' tangential asides. His conversational style is engaging and enthusiastic. It's nice to hear someone giving the proper excitement for topics like the Battle of Marathon, Persian Culture, Egyptian Culture, Peloponnesian War, Greek-Persian Wars, the Artemesium battle, the Amazons and the Spartans at Thermopylae. The 9 books are named after the 9 Muses, so here's a breakdown of topics: Book 1 Lydia, Medes, Persia, Cyrus Book 2 Egyptian And African History, Customs, Geography Book 3 Cambyses Conquers Egypt; Cambyses' Death; Smerdis; Darius; 20 Persian Satrapies Book 4 Europeans; Darius Fails To Conquer Scythia; Greek Colonies In Libya (Cyrene, Barca); Persia Invades Libya Book 5 Persia Conquers Thrace, Paeonians; Ionian Revolt Under Aristagoras Of Miletus; Former Athens-Sparta Conflicts; Athenian Tyrants & Democracy; Conflict Between Athens And Darius Begins Book 6 Miletus Conquered & Ionian Revolt Quelled; Thrace, Athos, Macedonia Fall; Rivalry Between Spartan Clemenes & Demaratus; Athens-Aegina Conflict; Athens & Plataeans Defeat Persia At Marathon Under Miltiades Book 7 Darius Dies--Xerxes King; Invasion Of Thrace, Thessalia; Athens And Sparta Unite; Shipwrecks Of Persians; Leonidas' Defeat At Thermopylae Book 8 Battle At Artemesium; Attacks On Phocis, Boeotia, Delphi, Plataea, Athens; Victory At Salamis Book 9 Greek Victories At Plataea (Mardonius Killed); Greeks Attack Thebes; Victory At Mycale, Siege Of Sestos
208 people found this helpful
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- Jay Melican
- 15-02-2019
Great hearing all I would probably never have read
As far as I am concerned Herodotus' Histories is the perfect sort of text for an audio book. It's the foundation of so many stories we know and have heard retold many times. It's amazingly rich with cultural detail and gossip from the ancient world. It's just cool to hear humans trying to work through the meaning of myth and lies and the possibility of an objective historical account. But it is long...and, in places, not as absorbing. I was glad to listen to it because I don't think I could have gotten through it reading. And I was very glad to not be in college needing to remember it all for a test! I would highly recommend Elizabeth Vandiver's lectures on Herodotus: The Father of History as a companion. I listened to Vandiver's lectures before I listened to the full text of Herodotus, and that helped me to keep track of the rambling stories and to contextualize Herodotus' work.
17 people found this helpful
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- Will
- 07-02-2017
It's like story time with a grandparent.
It's like story time with a grandparent. David Timson delivers an engaging presentation of an accessible translation.
25 people found this helpful
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- K. Reay
- 08-02-2017
Best Narrator Ever
David Timson makes this classic a real pleasure to listen to. His voice kept me engaged the whole time. Highly recommend!
35 people found this helpful
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- Grimjack
- 05-07-2018
Bronze Age History Brought to Life
I'd read portions of Histories in High School and College and found the reading pretty tough, especially the passages on geography. David Timson performs a magnificent narration of Herodotus' histories of the Greek and Persian empires that keeps the listener's attention. If your only exposure to the Greek/Persian wars has been via the movies like "300", you owe yourself a listen or reading of these works; Herodotus provides a more balanced perspective of the Persian and Greek conflict and cultures.
10 people found this helpful
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- Jason Kirkendoll
- 10-03-2018
A must listen for the history enthusiast!
What a phenomenal experience. I thoroughly enjoyed the performance as well as the narrative portions.
7 people found this helpful
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- Carolyn
- 20-03-2017
A Delightful Classic
I always enjoy Herodotus, and David Timson does a truly wonderful job as narrator. Many hours of thought-provoking listening pleasure.
11 people found this helpful
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- phil
- 20-10-2019
Rawlinson updated
Translation appears to be that of George Rawlinson albeit with all the archaic words updated. Stylistically it reads like a modern text. A free online version of Rawlinson's text can be found at Wikisource. It's very well narrated. There is no Greek left untranslated. For context Elizabeth Vandiver has a superb course on Herodotus.
5 people found this helpful
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- R. Mcintyre
- 06-09-2016
Beautifully delivered
This was, for me, unexpectedly delightful. I was sad when it ended.
Can't say any more about the author than has already been said, but the reader, David, son of Tim, has a most easy-to-listen voice.
5 people found this helpful
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- Nik Jewell
- 13-05-2018
Great reading
When reviewing an audio book version of an ancient classic it is hard to decide what you are assessing: the classic itself, the translation or the performance. The Histories stands on its own; if you are contemplating listening to this then you know why you have chosen to do so and have a good idea what it is about. Suffice it to say that if you have the slightest interest in the ancient world you then you owe it to yourself to read or listen to it. Being unable to translate the Greek I am in no position to comment on the quality of the translation. The translator is not specified. As well as listening I also read Tom Holland's translation; the version here seemed no better (or worse). I can, however, comment on the performance of the reader, which really is quite excellent.
13 people found this helpful
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- G Douglas Whistler
- 29-10-2016
Excellent
Fascinating text, & very well read. The translation is fresh & engaging, while maintaining the authority of formality. Would recommend, even to those not usually inclined to classical texts.
3 people found this helpful
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- Toby
- 06-01-2017
Masterpiece
The irony of how patterns repeat throughout history. What is essentially an Ancient Greek History Textbook, is eloquently delivered so as not to bore the audience with a wooden pitch that might so readily be associated with the reading aloud in a classroom.
10 people found this helpful
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- Daveyboy
- 12-02-2017
Storytelling at its finest
I was surprised at how accessible and enjoyable I found Histories. Whilst there is a bit 'begatting' I was happy to let it roll over me until it got to the story again. The narrator is excellent.
2 people found this helpful
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- karen
- 27-09-2016
great listen
listened to this several times. Recommend it to anyone with a love of ancient history.
1 person found this helpful
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- Mac user
- 18-01-2021
Brilliant book
This version of the classic is very well read and easy on the ear. Recommended.
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- Michelle Hood
- 21-04-2020
Fascinating
Thoroughly enjoyable. it's a view of the ancient World little seen especially in their own words.
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- Jaspal
- 12-04-2017
Beautifully narrated
What did you like most about Histories?
The scope, it covers a broad span of time and topics.
What does David Timson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
He just gets it right. I can almost imagine his voice is that of Herodotus reading his own work, albeit in English.
Any additional comments?
Lion cubs destroy the womb as they are born? Hmm Mr Herodotus, you may have wanted to fact check some of those stories you heard!
1 person found this helpful
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