Athenian Solon Visits Rich King Croesus, Herodotus' Histories

Excerpted from video: Herodotus, Histories of Persia, Egypt and Scythia Before the Greco-Persian Wars

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Was Herodotus the Father of History, or the Father of Lies? Scholars debate this question, but we know for sure that his history is the primary source for the history of the Greek-Persian Wars.

The opening chapters of the Histories of Herodotus cover the events leading up to the Greco-Persian Wars. Herodotus examines the customs and history of Persia, Scythia, and Egypt, and the history of Persian expansion in Egypt and Scythia. The histories discuss the birth, rise to power, and death of Cyrus the Great, and his successors King Cambyses, then King Darius.

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We also discuss:
• The Amazons of Scythia, the woman warrior inspiration for the Wonder Woman movies.
• How Herodotus may not have actually seen the hippo he describes as a river-horse.
• The myth of how Zeus as a swan consorted with Leda, and how Helen of Troy hatched from her egg.
• The myths of Eris, goddess of discord, and the Judgement of Paris, and how the Egyptians claimed they prevent Helen of Troy from reaching Troy.
• The supposed strange marriage customs of Babylon.
• Curse of King Gyges when he overthrew King Candaules.
• How Cyrus the Great defeated King Croesus.
• The legend of the visit of Solon to the court of King Croesus, where they discuss who are the happiest of men.
• The pronouncements of the priestess of the Oracle at Delphi.
• Why the herdsman Mitradates did not expose the infant Cyrus, as instructed by the king’s steward, Harpagus.
• How Cyrus overthrew the tyrant King Astyages.
• How Queen Tomyris of the Massagetae defeated the army of King Cyrus in battle.
• History of the Persian King Cambyses in Egypt.
• How King Darius ascends to the throne of Persia, and the debate on the best form of government: monarchy, oligarchy, or democracy.
Please support our channel, if you wish to purchase these Amazon books we receive a small affiliate commission:
The Histories, by Herodotus, Aubrey de Sélincourt, Translator
Herodotus: The Father of History, Audible Audiobook, by Elizabeth Vandiver, The Great Courses
The Ancient Greek Historians (Harvard Lectures), by John Bagnell Bury
The Greek and Persian Wars, Audible, by John R. Hale, The Great Courses
Plutarch's Greek Lives, Oxford World Classics, Robin Waterfield, translator
Great Books of The Western World: VOLUME 5 - Aeschylus / Sophocles / Euripides / Aristophanes, by Encylopaedia Britannica, used copies inexpensive

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As Socrates teaches us, the examined life is a life worth living. We would be fools if we did not desire to learn from our multitude of friends whose words live in the works of the classics that have survived from past centuries and millennia. The Stoic and moral philosophers of Greece and Rome saw philosophy as an evangelical enterprise, seeking to spread the joy of living a godly life for its own sake.

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This is original content based on research by Bruce Strom and his blogs. Images in the Public Domain, many from Wikipedia, some from the National Archives, are selected to provide illustration. When images of the actual topic or event are not available in the Public Domain, images of similar objects and events are used for illustration.

All events are portrayed in historical context and for educational purposes. No images or content are primarily intended to shock and disgust. The ancient world was a warrior culture out of necessity, to learn from the distant past we should not only judge them from our modern perspective but also from their own ancient perspective on their own terms.