- 01Persian account of the origins of the quarrel
- 02Croesus of Lydia
- 01Heracleidai rule and the Mermnadai succession
- 02Candaules, Gyges, and the queen's revenge
- 03Delphi confirms Gyges as king
- 01Gyges and the rise of the Mermnadai
- 02Ardys, Sadyattes, and Alyattes against Miletos
- 03Periander and Arion of Methymna
- 04Alyattes' death and Croesus' accession
- 01Croesus and the islanders' ships
- 02Solon visits Sardis and Croesus asks about happiness
- 01Tellos of Athens as the happiest man
- 02Cleobis and Biton and the lesson of happiness
- 03Solon's warning about human fortune
- 01Solon's warning about human fortune
- 02Croesus's dream and Atys's marriage
- 03Adrastos, the boar hunt, and Atys's death
- 01Croesus mourns his son and turns against Persia
- 02Testing the oracles and Delphi's response
- 01Croesus recognizes Delphi's oracle
- 02Croesus' offerings to Delphi
- 01Croesus's dedications at Delphi and Amphiaraos
- 02The renewed oracle inquiry about Persia
- 03Croesus's third consultation on his kingdom's duration
- 01Pelasgian and Hellenic origins
- 02Pelasgian language and migration
- 03Growth of the Hellenic race
- 04Peisistratos and the Athenian faction
- 01Peisistratos' first seizure of power
- 02Exile, Phya's ruse, and second return
- 03Third restoration and consolidation of rule
- 01Lycurgos and the Spartan constitution
- 02The oracle and the Tegean war
- 03The bones of Orestes at Tegea
- 01Croesus seeks Spartan alliance
- 02The bronze mixing-bowl and its fate
- 03Croesus prepares to march against Persia
- 01Croesus's reasons for invading Cappadokia
- 02The Halys crossing and battle at Pteria
- 01Croesus disbands his army and reads the serpent omen
- 02Cyrus rushes to Sardis and defeats the Lydian cavalry
- 03The siege of Sardis and Croesus’s appeals to his allies
- 04The Spartan-Argive war over Thyrea
- 05The capture of Sardis by Hyroiades
- 06Croesus’s mute son and the Delphic prophecy
- 01Croesus on the pyre and Apollo's rescue
- 02Croesus advises Cyrus on the plunder
- 01Croesus's votive offerings at Greek sanctuaries
- 02Alyattes's sepulchral monument and Lydian customs
- 01Assyrian rule and the Medes' revolt
- 02Deïokes wins trust as judge
- 03The Medes choose Deïokes as king
- 01Deïokes' fortified Agbatana and royal protocol
- 02Phraortes' conquests and death
- 03Kyaxares, the Scythian domination of Asia, and Median recovery
- 01Astyages’ ominous dreams
- 02Harpagos ordered to kill Cyrus
- 03The herdsman Mitradates and Spaco
- 01The herdsman's wife's substitution of the dead child
- 02Cyrus's boyhood recognition by Astyages
- 01Astyages interrogates Harpagos
- 02The banquet of Harpagos’ son
- 03Cyrus restored to his parents
- 04Harpagos’ plot against Astyages
- 05Cyrus recruits the Persians
- 06The reaping-hooks and the feast
- 07Persian revolt and Astyages' response
- 01Persian religious customs and sacrifice
- 02Persian social customs, education, and taboos
- 01Cyrus rebukes the Ionian and Aiolian envoys
- 02The twelve Ionian cities and their dialects
- 03Ionian identity and the Panionion
- 04The Dorian Triopian temple and the Halicarnassian exclusion
- 05Why the Ionians formed twelve cities
- 01Ionian descent and the Apaturia
- 02Panionion and the Ionian cities
- 03Aiolian cities and the loss of Smyrna
- 04Aiolian settlements in the islands
- 01Spartan refusal to aid the Ionians
- 02Pactyas’ revolt and Croesus’ counsel
- 03Kyme consults the oracle at Branchidai
- 01Pactyas’ flight and surrender
- 02Harpagos’ campaign in Ionia
- 03Phocaean seafaring and Arganthonios
- 01Harpagos besieges Phocaea and the evacuation to Chios
- 02Settlement at Alalia, the sea battle, and departure to Rhegion
- 03The stoning of the survivors and the curse at Agylla
- 01Bias and Thales advise the Ionians
- 02Harpagos marches against the Carians, Caunians, and Lykians
- 03Origins and customs of the Carians, Caunians, and Lykians
- 01Cnidian isthmus and the Delphic oracle
- 02Pedasian resistance and Lycian destruction at Xanthos
- 01Babylon's size and outer wall
- 02Euphrates, city divisions, and inner wall
- 03Palace and temple of Zeus Belos
- 01Babylonian temple of Zeus and its sacred precincts
- 02Semiramis and Nitocris: Babylonian works and defenses
- 03Nitocris's tomb and Dareios's greed
- 01Cyrus's march and the river Gyndes
- 02Siege and capture of Babylon by the Euphrates
- 01The wealth and customs of the Babylonians
- 01These customs then are established among the Babylonians
- 01Tomyris, queen of the Massagetai
- 02Cyrus's bridge-building and Tomyris's challenge
- 03Croesus advises Cyrus to invade Massagetai territory
- 01Croesus's counsel and Cyrus's decision
- 02Cyrus's dream of Hystaspes's son
- 01Tomyris's warning and Cyrus's refusal
- 02Battle of the Massagetai and death of Cyrus
- 03Massagetai customs and weapons
- 01Massagetai marriage, burial, and diet customs
- 01Textual and translation notes
- 01Persian customs and social divisions
- 01Textual notes on the Ionian cities
- 01Atarneos and the Mysian coast
- 02Corsica and Carthaginian prisoners
- 01Babylon's fortifications and temple precincts
- 01Capture of Babylon by the Euphrates
- 01Babylonian marriage customs and temple prostitution
- 02River navigation and steering-oars
- 01Notes on customs and sacrifice
The Histories
Early historical inquiry and cultural comparison.
4Chapters
271Lessons
784Topics
Certificate of completion included
This course was produced by Cavua from a public-domain text.
Skills this course leaves you with.
- Summarize the major narratives in Herodotus' Histories
- Explain the causes and consequences of the conflict between Persians and Hellenes
- Compare the customs, beliefs, and political structures of Lydia, Persia, Babylon, and Egypt
- Identify key rulers and events in the rise of Lydian, Median, Persian, and Egyptian power
- Describe Herodotus' methods of historical inquiry and cultural observation
Curriculum
The full table of contents.
Every chapter, every lesson, every topic — laid out before you enroll. Click any chapter to expand it.
- Chapters
- 4
- Lessons
- 271
- Topics
- 784
- 01Cambyses succeeds Cyrus and marches on Egypt
- 02Psammetichos's experiment on the first language
- 03Priestly accounts from Memphis, Thebes, and Heliopolis
- 01Egyptian calendar and religious origins
- 02The shape and measurements of Egypt
- 03Egypt as a river-made land
- 04Nile flooding, fertility, and future famine
- 01Egypt as the land of the Egyptians
- 02The Nile Delta and the river mouths
- 01Oracle of Ammon on Egypt's boundaries
- 02Herodotus' inquiry into the Nile's flood
- 03Rejected explanation: the Etesian Winds
- 04Rejected explanation: the Ocean source theory
- 01Refutation of the snow theory
- 02Herodotus' explanation of the Nile's summer flood
- 01The Nile’s seasonal behavior and dryness of Libya
- 02The scribe’s account of the Nile’s sources at Crophi and Mophi
- 03Journey upstream from Elephantine to Meroe
- 04The Asmach deserters and Egyptian garrisons
- 05Nasamonian expedition into the Libyan desert
- 06Herodotus’ comparison of the Nile and the Ister
- 01Egyptian customs contrasted with other peoples
- 02Priestly purity and religious practices
- 01Egyptian priestly food taboos and priestly succession
- 02Testing and sealing sacrificial bulls
- 03Egyptian bull sacrifice and treatment of heads
- 04Bull sacrifice for the greatest goddess and Isis
- 01Theban Zeus and the sacred ram
- 02Heracles as an ancient Egyptian god
- 03Tyre, Thasos, and the temples of Heracles
- 04Egyptian sacrifice and the Mendesian cult of Pan
- 01The pig as an abominable animal
- 02Swine sacrifice to the Moon and Dionysos
- 03Melampus and the Egyptian rites of Dionysos
- 01Egyptian origins of Greek divine names
- 02Pelasgian naming of the gods and Dodona
- 01Origins of oracles at Dodona and Libya
- 02Egyptian solemn assemblies and festival customs
- 01Egyptian purity rules and sacred animals
- 02Crocodiles and the river-horse
- 03Other sacred creatures and the phoenix
- 01The ibis and sacred animals
- 02Egyptian diet, health, and funerary custom
- 03Linos song and social manners
- 01Mourning rites and embalming customs
- 02Three methods of embalming
- 01Perseus at Chemmis and athletic contests
- 02Fen-land food, fish, oil, gnats, and boats
- 01Nile inundation and river routes
- 02Min, Memphis, and Nitocris
- 03Moris, Sesostris, and Egyptian traces abroad
- 01Colchians and Egyptian flax-working
- 02Sesostris's pillars and rock carvings
- 03Sesostris's return, revenge, and canal works
- 01Sesostris's land division and monuments
- 02Pheros's blindness and restoration
- 03Proteus of Memphis
- 01Proteus and the foreign Aphrodite at Memphis
- 02Alexander's seizure and Proteus's judgment
- 03Homer, the Cyprian Epic, and the Egyptian version of Helen
- 04Menelaos in Egypt and the priests' account of Helen
- 01The king's stone treasury and the brothers' theft
- 02The corpse, the guards, and the mother's demand
- 03The wine-skins ruse and recovery of the body
- 04The king's daughter, the arm trick, and the pardon
- 01Egyptian rites and the soul's immortality
- 02Cheops's oppression and pyramid construction
- 03Step-like pyramid and lifting machines
- 01Cheops and the Great Pyramid
- 02Chephren and the second pyramid
- 03Mykerinos: the cow, oracle, and revelry
- 01Rhodopis, Aesop, and the pyramid legend
- 02Rhodopis in Egypt and her memorial at Delphi
- 03Asychis and the temple gateway of Hephaistos
- 01Sabacos and the Ethiopian rule over Egypt
- 02Sethos and the mouse miracle at Pelusion
- 01Egyptian priestly genealogies and the succession of gods
- 01Egyptian kings and the Labyrinth at Moiris
- 02Psammetichos, the bronze men, and foreign mercenaries
- 01The Oracle of Leto at Buto
- 02Chemmis and the floating island tradition
- 03Psammetichos, Azotos, and Necos's canal project
- 01Necos's unfinished canal to the Erythraian Sea
- 02Necos's wars, triremes, and death
- 03Psammis and the Eleians on Olympic justice
- 04Psammis's Ethiopian expedition and Apries's accession
- 01Egyptian social classes and warrior districts
- 02Privileges and duties of the warrior class
- 03Battle of Momemphis and Apries' fall
- 01Saïs burial-place and Egyptian mysteries
- 02Amasis wins the Egyptians
- 03Amasis's daily rule and the bow metaphor
- 01Amasis's attitude toward gods and oracles
- 02Temple-gateway and colossal dedications at Saïs
- 03Monolith chamber from Elephantine
- 04Great temple works at Memphis and Saïs
- 01Amasis's prosperity law and census
- 02Naucratis and Hellenic sanctuaries
- 03Naucratis as Egypt's sole trading-place
- 04Delphic temple contributions from Egypt
- 05Alliance with Kyrene and Ladike
- 01Amasis’s dedications in Hellas
- 02Herodotus’s notes on Egypt and the Nile
- 03Homeric evidence for Helen in Egypt
- 04Herodotus' notes on Egyptian customs and chronology
- 01Cambyses' demand for Amasis' daughter
- 02Egyptian claim about Cambyses' parentage
- 01Phanes of Halicarnassus defects to Cambyses
- 02The route into Egypt and the waterless frontier
- 01Arabian pledges and water supply for the Persian march
- 02Psammenitos at Pelusium and the Theban rain prodigy
- 03Battle with the Egyptian mercenaries and the siege of Memphis
- 01Cambyses tests Psammenitos's grief
- 02Psammenitos's explanation and Cambyses's mercy
- 01Cambyses' planned expeditions
- 01The table of the Sun and Ethiopian customs
- 02Crystal burial receptacles
- 01Cambyses' failed expedition against the Ethiopians
- 02The Ammonian army lost in the desert
- 03Apis festival and Cambyses' sacrilege
- 04Cambyses' madness and murders
- 01Cambyses' family murders and omens
- 02Prexaspes, Croesus, and the Persians' madness
- 03Desecration at Memphis and Hephaistos
- 01Cambyses and the sanctity of custom
- 02Polycrates' rise to power in Samos
- 03Amasis warns against unbroken good fortune
- 04The signet-ring cast into the sea
- 05Amasis ends the guest-friendship
- 06Lacedemonian expedition against Polycrates
- 01Samian exiles seek Spartan help
- 02Lacedemonian expedition against Samos
- 03Corinthian support and old grievances
- 01Corcyrean boys at the temple of Artemis
- 02Periander's exile of Lycophron
- 03Periander's attempt to restore his son
- 01Siege of Samos by the Lacedemonians
- 02Archias and Lycopas at the wall
- 03Forty-day siege and withdrawal
- 04Samians sail to Siphnos
- 01Samians’ exploits and monuments
- 02Cambyses and the Magian usurpation
- 03Cambyses’ death and the Magian usurpation
- 04Otanes discovers the false Smerdis
- 05The conspiracy of the seven Persians
- 01Gobryas urges an immediate attack
- 02The Magians win over Prexaspes
- 01Prexaspes exposes the Magians
- 02The seven Persians attack the palace
- 03The Magians' last stand
- 01Otanes on popular government
- 02Megabyzos on rule of the few
- 03Dareios on monarchy
- 01Otanes withdraws from the kingship contest
- 02The seven Persians agree on royal privileges and the horse test
- 03Oibares rigs the sunrise neighing contest
- 01Dareios’ kingship and royal marriages
- 02Establishment of the twenty satrapies
- 03Tribute of the provincial divisions
- 01Yearly tribute and royal treasury
- 02Peoples who brought gifts instead of tribute
- 03Indian tribes and customs
- 04Indian gold and the ants
- 05India and Arabia as the world’s extremes
- 06Arabian spices and their collection
- 07Remarkable Arabian sheep
- 01Ethiopian land at the sunset extremity
- 02Skepticism about Europe’s western and northern edges
- 03The enclosed plain of Asia and the Akes river
- 01Intaphrenes' outrage at the palace gate
- 02Dareios' punishment of Intaphrenes' family
- 01Two accounts of Polycrates' death
- 02Oroites' deceptive invitation and Polycrates' departure
- 01Polycrates' fatal journey to Oroites
- 02Oroites' crimes and Dareios' plan for revenge
- 01Demokedes heals Dareios and gains favor
- 02Demokedes’ earlier career in Greece
- 03Atossa urges a Persian campaign
- 01Dareios plans a reconnaissance of Hellas
- 02Demokedes leads the Persian survey party
- 03Demokedes reaches Croton and is seized
- 01Demokedes’ return to Asia and the Persian spies
- 02Syloson’s gift to Dareios and his appeal at Susa
- 01Maiandrios' proclamation of equality
- 02Charilaos and the Persian attack on Samos
- 01Cleomenes rejects Maiandrios' bribes
- 02Babylonian revolt and Dareios' siege
- 01Zopyros’ self-mutilation and plan to take Babylon
- 02Zopyros as a Babylonian deserter
- 03The staged attacks and betrayal of the gates
- 04Babylon’s second capture and Dareios’ reprisals
- 01Zopyros’ honors and descendants
- 02Notes to Book III
- 01Dareios' campaign against the Scythians
- 01Scythian milk processing and blindness of slaves
- 02Slave revolt and Scythian return from Asia
- 03Scythian origin myth and the golden gifts
- 04Descent of the Scythian tribes
- 01Scythian origin and sacred gold
- 02Greek account of Heracles in Scythia
- 03The serpent-maiden and Heracles' sons
- 01Heracles, the girdle, and Skythes
- 02Scythian migration and the Kimmerians
- 01Aristeas and the lands beyond the Issedonians
- 01Scythian peoples west of the Borysthenes
- 02Nomad and Royal Scythians beyond the Gerros
- 03Sauromatai, Budinoi, and forest hunters
- 04Bald-headed men and the Argippaians
- 05Issedonian customs
- 01Arimaspians and gold-guarding griffins
- 02Scythian climate and winter conditions
- 03Hornless oxen and mules in Elis
- 04Snow as the 'feathers' beyond Scythia
- 01Delian traditions of Hyperborean offerings
- 02Hyperborean maidens and Delian burial rites
- 03Arge and Opis in Delos
- 01Size and outline of Asia, Libya, and Europe
- 02Necos and the Phoenician voyage around Libya
- 03Sataspes' failed circumnavigation of Libya
- 04Dareios and Skylax on the Indus and Indian Sea
- 01Scythia’s rivers and the Ister
- 02The Tyras and Hypanis
- 01Scythian river system
- 02Scythian gods and sacrifice
- 03Temple and rites of Ares
- 01Scythian trophies from slain enemies
- 02Skull cups and honors for warriors
- 03Annual wine rite for enemy-slayers
- 04Scythian divination by willow rods and linden bark
- 05Diviners summoned when the king is sick
- 01Scythian burial of kings
- 02Scythian customs and resistance to foreign ways
- 01Scythian numbers and the bronze bowl of Ariantas
- 02Heracles' footprint and return to the narrative
- 03Dareios' preparations and march against the Scythians
- 04Oiobazos' sons and Dareios at the Bosphorus
- 01Measurements of the Pontus, Bosphorus, and Hellespont
- 02Dareios at the bridge and Mandrocles' reward
- 01Tearos River and Dareios' pillar
- 01Salmoxis and the Getai
- 02Dareios and the floating bridge
- 03Geography and extent of Scythia
- 01Scythian council and neighboring peoples
- 02Tauroi, Agathyrsians, Neuroi, Androphagoi, Melanchlainoi, and Budinoi
- 03The Sauromatai and the Amazons
- 01Meeting and union of the Amazons and Scythian youths
- 02Marriage customs and migration to the Tanais
- 03Sauromatai customs and language
- 01Scythian appeal to neighboring kings
- 02Scythian retreat and Persian pursuit
- 03Desert crossing and fortifications on the Oaros
- 01Scythian retreat through neighboring peoples
- 02Idanthyrsos' refusal to submit to Dareios
- 01Scythian harassment and Dareios’ gifts
- 02The Scythian message and Persian retreat
- 03The bridge over the Ister and Persian escape
- 01The Minyai at Sparta
- 02Theras and the settlement of Thera
- 03The oracle and the search for Libya
- 01Samians at Platea and the dedication at Hera
- 02Theraians resolve to colonize Libya
- 03Phronime, Battos, and the Delphic oracle
- 04Failure at Platea and settlement at Aziris
- 01Battos, Arkesilaos, and the rise of Kyrene
- 02Pheretime's appeal and Aryandes' expedition
- 01Western Libyan tribes from the Giligamai to the Garamantians
- 02The Auseans and the lake Tritonis customs
- 03The inland salt belt and desert peoples
- 04Atarantians and Atlantians of the salt belt
- 05Nomad Libyan customs, sacrifice, and burial
- 06Maxyans and the wildlife of Libya
- 01Named Libyan tribes
- 02Kyrauis and the gold trade
- 03The wealth and fertility of Libya
- 01Siege of Barca and underground countermines
- 02Amasis's hidden trench and the capture of Barca
- 03Pheretime's vengeance and the Persian withdrawal
- 01Textual notes on Scythian ethnography and geography
- 02Textual notes and Greek glosses
- 03Volume and contents pages
- 01Megabazos subdues Perinthos and Thrace
- 02Thracian customs and burial practices
- 03Paionian submission and removal to Asia
- 04The lake Prasias dwellers and Macedonian embassy
- 01Persian demand for women at dinner
- 02Alexander's deception and armed retaliation
- 01Histiaios at Myrkinos and Dareios' summons
- 02Otanes' command on the sea-coasts
- 03Renewed unrest in Ionia: Naxos and Miletos
- 01Naxian exiles seek Aristagoras' help
- 02Aristagoras persuades Artaphrenes to invade Naxos
- 03Preparation of the Persian expedition
- 01Megabates sabotages the Naxian siege
- 02Histiaios’ secret message and Aristagoras’ revolt
- 03Spartan royal succession and Dorieos’ ventures
- 01Aristagoras' appeal to Cleomenes
- 01Cleomenes rejects the three-month journey
- 02Aristagoras' bribery attempt and Gorgo's warning
- 03The royal road from Sardis to Susa
- 01Aristagoras’ account of the royal road to Susa
- 02Hipparchos, the Gephyraians, and the murder at the Panathenaia
- 03Phoenician letters and Cadmeian inscriptions at Thebes
- 04The Alcmaionidai and the rebuilding of the Delphic temple
- 01Spartan expeditions against the Peisistratids
- 02Siege of the Pelasgian wall and surrender
- 03Exile of the Peisistratid family
- 01Cleisthenes’ tribal reforms in Athens
- 02Cleisthenes of Sikyon and anti-Argive reforms
- 01Cleisthenes' tribal reforms in Athens
- 02Isagoras calls in Cleomenes
- 03The curse of Kylon and the expulsion of Cleisthenes
- 04Athens seeks Persian alliance
- 05Cleomenes' invasion of Attica and the allied withdrawal
- 01Athens defeats Boeotians and Chalkidians
- 02Theban appeal to the oracle
- 01Theban request for Aeginetan aid
- 02Origins of the Athenian-Eginetan grudge
- 01Athens and Aegina over the images of Damia and Auxesia
- 01Athenian punishment of the women and the change to Ionian dress
- 02Argive and Eginetan customs after the quarrel
- 03Oracle on the Eginetan war and the sacred enclosure for Aiacos
- 04Spartan resentment and the recovered oracles
- 01Spartan plan to restore Hippias
- 02Socles' speech against tyranny
- 01Kypselos’ birth, oracle, and seizure of Corinth
- 02Periander’s rule and Thrasybulos’ counsel
- 01Hippias at Sigeion and the Mytilenean war
- 02Persian pressure on Athens and Aristagoras's appeal
- 01Aristagoras recruits the Paionians
- 02Ionian and Athenian march on Sardis
- 03The burning of Sardis
- 01Destruction of Sardis and Persian counterattack
- 02Ionian aftermath and wider revolt
- 03Onesilos seizes Salamis and besieges Amathus
- 01Dareios’ vow against the Athenians
- 02Histiaios’ deception and release
- 03Onesilos besieges Amathus
- 01Onesilos summons the Ionians and the battle plan
- 02Artybios killed and the Cyprian defeat
- 03Onesilos's head and the aftermath in Cyprus
- 01Pixodaros's strategy at the Maiander
- 02Battle on the Marsyas and refuge at Labraunda
- 03Milesian aid and the renewed fighting
- 04Ambush at Pedasos and Persian losses
- 05Hymaies's campaign in Mysia and Troas
- 06Artaphrenes and Otanes against Ionia and Aiolia
- 01Aristagoras weighs escape routes from Miletos
- 02Hecataios advises a defensive refuge on Leros
- 03Aristagoras chooses Myrkinos and departs for Thrace
- 01Histiaios’ maneuvers after the revolt
- 02Ionian fleet at Lade
- 03Dionysios’ discipline and the Samian defection
- 04The sea battle and Chian resistance
- 01Persian siege and destruction of Miletos
- 02Greek reactions to the fall of Miletos
- 03Samian migration and seizure of Zancle
- 01Histiaios’ campaign in Chios, Thasos, and Atarneus
- 02Persian fleet’s destruction of Ionia and the Hellespont
- 01Dolonkians seek a founder in Athens
- 02Miltiades becomes despot of the Chersonese
- 03Croesus rescues Miltiades from Lampsacus
- 04Stesagoras and the return of Miltiades
- 05Flight from the Phenicians and capture of Metiochos
- 01Artaphrenes’ tribute assessment in Ionia
- 02Mardonios’ campaign to the Hellespont and Athens
- 03Storm at Mount Athos and retreat from Macedonia
- 04Dareios’ demand to the Thasians
- 01Thasian mines and royal submission
- 02Dareios demands earth and water
- 03Athens, Egina, and Cleomenes' intervention
- 01Eurysthenes and Procles as Spartan kings
- 02Spartan royal descent from the Dorians
- 03Royal privileges of the Spartan kings
- 01Royal funeral rites and mourning customs
- 02Ariston, Demaratos, and the dispute over paternity
- 01Demaratos’ deposition and the Delphic oracle
- 02Demaratos’ exile and Leotychides’ succession
- 03Leotychides’ family and later retribution
- 01Cleomenes' campaign against the Eginetans
- 02Cleomenes' madness and death
- 03Oracle, invasion, and massacre at Argos
- 04Aftermath at Argos and Spartan explanation
- 01Leotychides’ appeal to the Athenians
- 02The Eginetan attack and Athenian retaliation
- 03The curse on the Eginetan nobles
- 01Persian fleet sails from Kilikia to Naxos
- 02Datis spares Delos and honors the island
- 03Delos shaken as a portent of coming evils
- 01Persian advance through the islands and Carystos
- 02Eretria's divided response and capture
- 03March from Eretria to Marathon
- 04Athens, Pheidippides, and Spartan delay
- 05Hippias at Marathon and the Plataian alliance
- 01Miltiades persuades Callimachos to fight
- 02Athenian battle formation at Marathon
- 03The charge and fighting at Marathon
- 04Deaths, ships, and Persian retreat
- 01Datis at Myconos and Delos
- 02Eretrians settled in Ardericca
- 03Lacedemonian arrival after Marathon
- 04Alcmaionidai and the shield accusation
- 05Callias and the Alcmaionidai's anti-tyrant reputation
- 01Cleisthenes seeks the best Greek son-in-law
- 02The contest of the wooers
- 03Hippocleides dances away the marriage
- 04Megacles wins Agariste
- 01Miltiades' expedition against Paros
- 02Timo's counsel and the temple incident
- 03Miltiades' withdrawal and the Delphic response
- 01Miltiades’ defense and the conquest of Lemnos
- 02Pelasgian expulsion from Attica and settlement in Lemnos
- 03The Lemnian women, the sons, and the oracle of release
- 04Miltiades’ later seizure of Lemnos
- 05Transition to Book VII and Darius's preparations
- 01Artobazanes and Xerxes dispute the succession
- 02Demaratos advises Xerxes
- 03Dareios dies and Xerxes succeeds
- 04Mardonios urges the invasion of Hellas
- 01Persuasion by the Aleuadai, Peisistratids, and Onomacritos
- 02Xerxes' decision and royal speech
- 03Mardonios' support for the expedition
- 01Artabanos warns against invading Hellas
- 01Artabanos warns against rash invasion
- 02Xerxes rejects the warning and vows vengeance on Athens
- 01Xerxes rejects Artabanos's warning
- 02The recurring dream commands the expedition
- 03Xerxes summons Artabanos for counsel
- 01Artabanos challenges the dream's divine origin
- 02Artabanos tests the dream in Xerxes' place
- 01Artabanos’ warning dream and reversal
- 02Xerxes’ third vision and mobilization of Persia
- 03Four years of preparations and the vastness of the army
- 01Athos canal excavation and city divisions
- 02Xerxes' motive for the Athos channel and Strymon bridge
- 01Preparations for bridges and provisions
- 02March from Critalla to Kelainai
- 03Pythios of Lydia entertains Xerxes
- 04Pythios offers his wealth to Xerxes
- 01Xerxes’ march through Phrygia and Lydia
- 02Preparations at Sardis and the Hellespont bridge
- 01Construction of the Hellespont bridges
- 02March from Sardis to Abydos and the solar omen
- 03Pythios the Lydian’s request
- 01Xerxes punishes Pythios
- 02The Persian army's march from Sardis
- 01March from Lydia to Ilion
- 02Xerxes at the Citadel of Priam and Abydos
- 01Artabanos warns of land and sea dangers
- 02Xerxes defends the expedition and Persian power
- 03Artabanos counsels against trusting the Ionians
- 04Xerxes reassures Artabanos and addresses the Persian nobles
- 01Xerxes' crossing of the Hellespont
- 02Portents after the crossing
- 03Fleet sails to Sarpedon
- 01Numbering the army at Doriscos
- 02Persian, Median, and allied contingents
- 03Eastern and southern contingents
- 04Anatolian and Thracian contingents
- 05Western Anatolian and island contingents
- 01Immortals and Persian foot commanders
- 02Cavalry nations and their equipment
- 03Commanders of the cavalry
- 01Trireme contingents by nation
- 02Naval commanders and notable officers
- 01Xerxes inspects the land and sea forces
- 02Demaratos on Spartan courage and law
- 03Xerxes dismisses Demaratos and marches into Thrace
- 01Boges of Eïon and the Thracian march
- 02Acanthos, Artachaies, and the route to Therma
- 01Fleet route through Sithonia, Pallene, and Crossaia
- 02Xerxes marches by the shortest inland route to Therma
- 03Lions attack the camel train
- 01Xerxes camps at Therma
- 02The Peneios and Thessaly's enclosed basin
- 03Greek responses to the Persian demand for earth and water
- 04Sperthias and Bulis before Xerxes
- 01Athens as the saviour of Hellas
- 02First and second Delphic oracles
- 03Themistocles' interpretation of the oracle
- 04Themistocles and the Athenian navy
- 05Greek alliance and the spy mission to Sardis
- 01Xerxes spares and displays the spies
- 02Argive consultation and Spartan negotiations
- 03Xerxes' herald and Argive friendship with Persia
- 01Argive reports and Persian overtures
- 02Gelon's ancestry and rise in Gela
- 03Gelon's seizure of Syracuse and population transfers
- 04Hellenic envoys seek Gelon's alliance
- 05Gelon's terms for leadership
- 06Gelon's refusal of Athenian command
- 07Cadmos sent to Delphi with Gelon's money
- 08Sicilian accounts of Terillos, Theron, and Amilcas
- 09Corcyrean promises and delay
- 01Cretan refusal after the Delphic oracle
- 02Thessalian appeal to guard the pass at Olympos
- 01Thermopylai and Artemision as the chosen defensive positions
- 02Delphic oracle and the first naval encounters off Skiathos
- 03Xerxes' forces and the total reckoning of the army
- 01Xerxes' army and fleet at Sepias
- 02The storm and shipwreck at Sepias
- 03Boreas, Thetis, and the aftermath
- 01Xerxes marches through Thessaly and Achaia
- 02Legend of Zeus Laphystios at Alos
- 01Geography of the Malian Gulf and Thermopylai
- 02Greek forces assembled at Thermopylai
- 03Leonidas and the Spartan advance guard
- 01Leonidas chooses to hold Thermopylai
- 02Xerxes scouts the Greek position and consults Demaratos
- 03Persian assaults repulsed at the pass
- 04Epialtes reveals the mountain path
- 01Epialtes leads the Persians by Anopaia
- 02Phokian guard discovers the ascent
- 03Warning at Thermopylai and debate
- 01Leonidas dismisses the allies
- 02The final assault at Thermopylai
- 03Deaths of Leonidas and the defenders
- 04Burial inscriptions and Spartan aftermath
- 05Theban surrender and Xerxes' interview with Demaratos
- 06Demaratos and Achaimenes advise Xerxes
- 07Xerxes reviews the dead and desecrates Leonidas
- 01Demaratos’s wax tablet message
- 01Textual notes on the Hellespont bridge passage
- 01Footnotes on the Persian host
- 01Textual notes on Demaratos and the Spartans
- 01The oracle at Delphi and the Persian invasion
- 02Greek responses to the oracle
- 01Textual notes on the Persian muster and fleet totals
- 01Army provisions and daily rations
- 02Advance into Thessaly and the route to Trachis
- 01Leonidas at Thermopylae
- 01Forces assembled for Artemision
- 02Themistocles keeps the fleet in Euboea
- 03Persian plan to surround the Greeks
- 04Skyllias the diver defects
- 01First sea-fight at Artemision
- 02Themistocles’ retreat and Ionian inscriptions
- 03Xerxes at Histaia and the Greek Olympic festival
- 01Thessalian grievance and Phokian refusal
- 02Thessalian guidance of the Persian army through Doris and Phokis
- 03Advance toward Delphi and the Delphian consultation
- 01Delphian refuge and divine defense
- 02Hellenic fleet at Salamis
- 01Athenian evacuation and sacred omen
- 02Assembly of the Hellenic fleet at Salamis
- 03Contingents of the allied ships
- 01Island contingents in the Greek fleet
- 02Debate over fighting at Salamis or the Isthmus
- 03Persian advance into Attica
- 01Persian siege of the Acropolis
- 02Capture and burning of the Acropolis
- 03Erechtheus temple and sacred olive-tree
- 01Mnesiphilos urges Themistocles to keep the fleet at Salamis
- 02Themistocles persuades Eurybiades to remain and fight at Salamis
- 01Dicaios’ vision of Iacchos and the omen of Xerxes’ fleet
- 02Xerxes’ fleet reaches Phaleron and the growing Persian host
- 01Artemisia's counsel against a sea battle
- 02Xerxes approves but follows the majority
- 03Persian fleet prepares at Salamis
- 01Peloponnesian defenses at the Isthmus
- 02Themistocles' message to the Persians
- 03Persian night deployment and the oracle
- 01Aristeides warns Themistocles of the encirclement
- 02Themistocles rallies the Hellenes for battle
- 03Opening of the sea-fight at Salamis
- 04Artemisia's escape and increased favor
- 01Artemisia's ramming attack and Xerxes' praise
- 02Deaths, accusations, and the fighting at Salamis
- 03Eginetan exploits and Adeimantos' retreat
- 04Aristeides on Psyttaleia and the aftermath of the battle
- 05Xerxes' fear and the Persian messenger system
- 01Persian reaction to the defeat at Salamis
- 02Mardonios urges Xerxes to continue the war
- 03Xerxes consults Artemisia
- 01Artemisia advises Xerxes to withdraw
- 02Hermotimos and Panionios
- 01Themistocles urges pursuit to the Hellespont
- 02Themistocles' deception and extortion of the islands
- 03Xerxes and Mardonios withdraw into Thessaly
- 01Xerxes' retreat through Thrace and the Hellespont
- 02Greek dedication and division of the spoils
- 01Themistocles' honours at Sparta
- 02Artabazos' campaign in Pallene
- 01Discovery of Timoxeinos's treachery
- 02Artabazos's siege and the flood-tide disaster
- 03Persian fleet at Samos and Hellenic response
- 01Mys consults the Greek oracles
- 02Alexander of Macedon sent to Athens
- 01Alexander's message from Mardonios
- 01Alexander's appeal to Athens
- 02Spartan warning against a Persian treaty
- 03Athenian refusal and appeal for aid
- 04Mardonios advances toward Athens
- 01Mardonios in Boeotia and the capture of Athens
- 02Athenian refusal of Persian terms at Salamis
- 03Spartan delay during the Hyakinthia
- 04Pausanias leads the Spartan relief force
- 05Argive warning and Mardonios' withdrawal
- 01Mardonios turns toward Megara and Boeotia
- 02Theban banquet and Persian foreboding
- 03Phokian troops and cavalry test
- 04Peloponnesian march from the Isthmus
- 01Masistios and the cavalry attack
- 02Tegean and Athenian dispute over the wing
- 01Athenians and Tegeans dispute the wing
- 02The Hellenes are ranged for battle
- 01Greek battle order at Plataia
- 02Persian and allied deployment under Mardonios
- 01Mardonios' multinational army
- 02Sacrifices and Tisamenos' Spartan citizenship
- 03Tisamenos compared with Melampus
- 01Tisamenos and the Spartan victories
- 02Divination before the battle at Plataia
- 03Hegesistratos and Mardonios' sacrifices
- 01Mardonios blocks the Kithairon pass
- 02Stalemate at Plataia and the debate over strategy
- 01Mardonios' interpretation of the oracle
- 02Alexander's midnight warning to the Athenians
- 01Athenians and Spartans exchange wings
- 02Mardonios challenges the Spartans to single combat
- 01Persian cavalry harass the Hellenes
- 02Council to retreat to the Island
- 03Night withdrawal toward Plataia
- 04Amompharetos refuses to retreat
- 05Pausanias leads the army away
- 01Mardonios pursues the retreating Hellenes
- 02Pausanias calls for Athenian support
- 03The fighting at Plataia and Mardonios' death
- 01Persian flight to the palisade
- 02Artabazos's withdrawal toward Phokis
- 03Boeotians and allied retreat
- 04Pursuit after the Persian panic
- 01Assault on the Persian palisade and the battle's outcome
- 02The best fighters at Plataia
- 03Sophanes of Dekeleia and his deeds
- 01The Coan woman’s plea to Pausanias
- 02Mantineian and Eleian arrivals after Plataia
- 03Lampon’s proposal to mutilate Mardonios
- 04Collecting, dedicating, and dividing the spoil
- 05Pausanias contrasts Persian luxury with a Laconian meal
- 01Burial of the Plataians and other Greek dead
- 02Mardonios’ burial and the burial places at Plataia
- 03Siege of Thebes and demand for surrender
- 01Artabazos’ retreat through Thessaly and Macedonia
- 02Battle of Mycale and the Samian appeal
- 01Hegesistratos as an augury of success
- 02Euenios of Apollonia and the oracle of his blinding
- 03Persian withdrawal to Mycale and the Hellenes' advance
- 01Leotychides' appeal to the Ionians
- 02Persian precautions and the Hellenes' advance
- 03The battle omen from Plataia
- 01Assault on the Persian camp at Mycale
- 02Greek victory and aftermath at Mycale
- 01Xerxes pursues Masistes' family
- 02Amestris' revenge against the wife of Masistes
- 01Xerxes, Masistes, and Amestris
- 02Athenians begin the siege of Sestos
- 01Artaÿctes’ sacrilege at Elaius
- 02The siege and capture of Sestos
- 03The vengeance of Protesilaos
- 04Artembares and Cyrus on Persian land
- 01Textual notes on Book 4, chapter 92-103
- 01Textual notes and variant readings
- 01Variant readings and textual notes
Keep exploring
View allMore in History.
Learn with AI
Ready to start this course?
Create your account to enroll, talk to your 24/7 tutor, and track your progress — across every device.