The Cambridge Companion to Herodotus

The Cambridge Companion series is adding tremendous depth to my study of the ancients and culture in general.  I need to make a point of reading the respective Companion for any subject on which I want to dig deep.

Case in point this volume on Herodotus' Histories.  I read Herodotus many years ago, and I'm about to do so again, just as soon as I finish this Companion volume.

One fascinating chapter has totally changed my perspective on Herodotus' Histories.  Rather than viewing the book as a history of the wars between Greece and Persia, it posits that Herodotus wrote the book as a warning to the Athenians about its growing downfall with Sparta.  The Histories, after all, was published circa 440-430BC as the Peloponnesian War approached.

Some examples:

• The Histories' focus on Darius and Xerxex's hubris as the critical reason they couldn't conquer Greece should be looked at as a warning to Athens regarding its own hubris in the 2nd half of the 5th century BC.
• Similarly, the Histories' sheds great light on the luxuriant softness of the Persians as preventing it from conquering Greece.  But Herodotus also cites numerous examples of Athens' and Sparta's growing softness due to its wealth and hegemony over the Aegean world and beyond.
• The Companion makes the same point regarding cruelty.  While Herodotus writes often about the cruelty of the Persians, he also peppers his Histories with examples of horrific acts committed by the Athenians in the height of its power.

So, was Herodotus the world's first historian, writing about the great Persian wars?  Or was he writing to sound a warning to the Athenians about the impending tragedy with Sparta?

That's the type of writing that I cherish, that I never would have picked up on my own.  And that's why I need to read more of the Cambridge Companion series.