Herodotus · 430 BC
The Histories
AccessibleHistoryAncient GreeceAntiquity
Why read it
The first work of history in Western literature. Herodotus set out to record the Persian Wars and ended up writing a portrait of the entire ancient world — its customs, religions, geographies, and peoples. Wonderfully digressive. Read it the way he wrote it: as a long, curious journey.