An Account of Egypt, by Herodotus
This letter might not affect you to be smarter, however guide An Account Of Egypt, By Herodotus that we offer will certainly evoke you to be smarter. Yeah, at the very least you'll know greater than others that do not. This is just what called as the quality life improvisation. Why should this An Account Of Egypt, By Herodotus It's because this is your favourite motif to read. If you like this An Account Of Egypt, By Herodotus motif about, why do not you review the book An Account Of Egypt, By Herodotus to enhance your discussion?
An Account of Egypt, by Herodotus
Best Ebook PDF Online An Account of Egypt, by Herodotus
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.
An Account of Egypt, by Herodotus - Published on: 2012-05-17
- Released on: 2012-05-17
- Format: Kindle eBook
An Account of Egypt, by Herodotus About the Author Herodotus was a Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, in Asia Minor, in the fifth century B.C. Called the Father of History, he wrote the first comprehensive attempt at secular narrative history, long considered the starting point of Western historical writing. The focus of his Histories is the Persian Wars, but he includes fascinating digressions on the histories of Bablyon, Egypt, and Thrace, as well as studies of the pyramids and various historical events. He was the first writer to evaluate historical, geographical, and archaeological material critically.
Where to Download An Account of Egypt, by Herodotus
Most helpful customer reviews
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful. The original historian By Amazon Customer This book offers an amazing glimpse into how a historian thought and wrote when there was no prior example of this profession. Herodotus writes with great detail, and is always careful to point out what he saw himself vs. what he was told by others. So we have a dual insight, from reading this, into both the history of Egypt but also how someone thought about history and society 2400 years ago. The language is a bit hard to follow at times because of the style as well as the many references to old units of measurement, but this is well worth making the effort.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful. Interesting read By Jetpack This is a review of the free Kindle edition.It's very interesting reading about a man's trip to Egypt 2500 years ago. It's remarkable how even then, Egypt was so ancient.I didn't realize it was believed by some that the Greek gods were the Egyptian gods renamed. Herodotus had interesting views on this, the Illiad and Homer and what he saw in Egypt. He provides tons of detail (sometimes too many) on much of Egyptian history, stories, habits, embalming and animals.If you have any interest in history, give this is a try. Slightly over 1000 locations. Suggest only for older teenagers and up.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Egypt, From Cheops to the Achaemenid Empire. A Preface to The Greco-Persian Wars. By M. DeKalb Translated by GC Macaulay we are given Herodotus’ recount of his adventures through Egypt. The father of history herein tells us about the climate, geography, religion, society and people who inhabit Egypt. He also is inclined to paint a whole historical backdrop for the lands struggles and changes of power and leader, rules, practices, cultural aesthetics and accomplishments. Very confusing at times, due to the sheer number of peoples (their cultural classifications and relationships) and the geographical explanations which I couldn’t imaging (so I had to look at old maps) the most important and memorable items came to me through description of the people and practices, and though important – not so much through geographical references, which the work is wont to have a billion.Having lived during the 5th Century BC (484-425BC) and writing this work ~440BC, Herodotus has been mostly renowned as the most accurate historian of his time, and in this work he attempts to cover some of the basic tenants of Egyptian life. It is important to remember that this tiny little book (or short, if you’re reading it on Kindle) sets the tone for a much larger historical context, both before Herodotus visited and definitely afterward as we witness at the close of the work the beginning of the Acheamenid (Persian) rule in Egypt.An Account of Egypt is Herodotus’ second book in his histories, titled ‘Euterpe’. When the work is not acting as a source of descriptive information, there are actually a few comical moments as it regards the Egyptian brazenness and crude sense of honest humor. Despite my own struggles in understanding the entirety of the work, due primarily to geographic unfamiliarity, it was an altogether interesting and occasionally fun read as it regards an abbreviated history of Egypt at its beginning.It is important to remember that this tiny little book (or short, if you’re reading it on Kindle) sets the tone for a much larger historical context, both before Herodotus visited and definitely afterward, as we witness at the close of the work the beginning of the Achaemenid (Persian) rule in Egypt.Notes / SPOILERS:Egyptian priests felt they were the first group of people to accurately divide the calendar into 12 months each with 30 days and 5 inculcated days to ensure the seasons begin and end roughly where they should by the calendar.Much attention is paid to the Nile, both as a geographical barrier and as a natural marvel (recall it travels north). Of its divisions: ‘Pelusian mouth’ (eastwardly), Canobic mouth (westward) and the Sebennytic mouth which courses straight through the delta. This mouth is then divided into two others: Saitic and the Mendesian mouth. Also mentioned are two other, man-made, mouths.Humorously, Herodotus details the ‘Deserters’ of Psammetichos, warriors who were out posted and never saw reprieve. When attempted to be convinced not to abandon their people and join the Ethiopians, one of their rank states as he ‘pointed to his privy member’ – ‘that wherever this was, there would they have both children and wives.’ (247)Culturally, it is the women who pervade the market place and the men whom stay at home and weave, it is the men who represent both male & female divinity, Egyptian priests were the only whom wore their heads shaved as opposed to their hair long, the Egyptians are one of only a few whom originally practices circumcision, and they were the foremost in reading and writing left to right so that they might carry the hand rightward.The Egyptians strongly disliked the Hellenes (anybody of Greek decent), in fact, after any sacrifice they would take the head of the animal, which was weighted down with Egyptian sins, wrong-doing and curses and attempt to sell it at market to a Hellene. If there were no Hellene to sell it to, they would cast the head into the river.Regarding the Gods: only Isis and Osiris were reverently worshipped by the collective Egyptian populous. Of the Gods, there were originally eight, then were added another 12. So revered were some Gods, in this particular case – Pan, that Herodotus states ‘in my lifetime there happened in that district this marvel, that is to say a he-goat had intercourse with a woman publicly, and this was so done that all men might have evidenced of it.’ (389) Herodotus also mentions Homer and Hesiod, who proceeded him by 400 years and makes note of, respectively, ‘The Odyssey’ and ‘The Theogeny’.The Dionysian festivals were celebration of the phallus. According to Herodotus, Melampus ‘set forth to the Hellenes the name of Dionysus and the manner of sacrifice and the procession of the phallus.’ (407)Animals were revered with their geographical importance. There were caretakers specified for the creatures and they collected money for its food in an interesting fashion – a father would shave a part of his sons head, if not the whole, and would then have the resultant mass of hair weighted and would then pay that amount in silver talent. The exchange would then allow the caretaker to purchase that much in food for the creatures under their care. Herodotus alludes to the Phoenix, which he states ‘I did not myself see except in painting, for in truth he comes to them very rarely, at intervals, as the people of Heliopolis say, of five hundred years.’ (547)Herodotus details the three types of embalming; this dependent upon what one could afford to pay for the service. At the high end there was removal of the brain through the nostrils and disembowelment, then a 70 day soak in nitron before being wrapped in clean linen. The middle road saw the corpse injected with cedar oil which when drained brought with it the liquefied innards. The body then was soaked in nitron for 70 days before being remitted to the individual’s family. The least expensive means of mummification was to clean out the innards by means of purge, putting the body in nitron and then, again, remitting it back to the family. Deceased women who were deemed good-looking or of a higher status were kept by their family for at least 4 days to prevent them from being sexually violated by embalmers.Herodotus also relays the leaders of Egypt, having started with Sesostris he recounts a comical story about he and his army establishing pillars which state something akin to ‘I have taken this land with my own hands.’, only when the enemies did not fight back or were easily overtaken he accompanied this phrase with a pictograph of the female genetalia. His unwarlike son, Pheros, succeeded him.Then there are the kings which now have stories surrounding them, and have been deemed mostly fictitious, embellished or altered in some fashion inconsistent with what is currently accepted:Proteus (fictitious) – the ‘old man of the sea’ whom kept Menelaus away from Helen after the battle of Troy (‘The Odyssey’).Rhampsinitos (believed to be fictitious) – who was robbed by two brothers, one who was caught in a snare and beseeched his brother to cut his head off so that he couldn’t be identified and the other was pardoned after removing his brother’s body, secretly, from public display.Cheops (Khufu, ~2566BC) – portrayed negatively and said to have shut up all of the religious temples to worship and then made the Egyptians to build the Great Pyramids of Giza.Next mentioned are: Cephren (~2570BC) then Mykerinos, Anysis, then the Ethiopian Sabacos (~707BC), Sethos. And it is mentioned that the last God amongst the Egyptians was Oros, the son of Osiris, after he had deposed Typhon (or Set), and in 11,340 years there had not been a God amongst them since. (1075) Refusing to be without rule the land was divided into 12 segments, each with their own king until Psammeticos drank from a bronze cup (his helmet) and was ousted from the land for fear that he would become the sole ruler of Egypt based upon a prophecy. Psammetichos (Psamtik I, ~610BC) became King, was then succeeded by his son, Necos (~595BC), his son Psammis (Psamtik II, ~589BC), and his son Apries (~570BC) and his son Amasis (~526) before the dictation leaves off upon Psamtik III (~525)– of who’s reign Herodotus’ work would be a fantastic recount if Psamtik III hadn’t ruled a mere six months. The position at the time of this work, I presume is held by the Persian – Cambysis II and represents Achaemenid Egypt, and recall: the histories of Herodotus conclude in the Battle of Mycale, as the Greco Empire squared off against Xerexs and the Persian Empire.One can clearly see that this historical progressing is a bit messy – filled with fictions and half-truths, missing now accepted Kings and Pharoahs and certainly unsure where to draw a line between the believable and the fantastic.
See all 22 customer reviews...
An Account of Egypt, by Herodotus
An Account of Egypt, by Herodotus PDF
An Account of Egypt, by Herodotus iBooks
An Account of Egypt, by Herodotus ePub
An Account of Egypt, by Herodotus rtf
An Account of Egypt, by Herodotus AZW
An Account of Egypt, by Herodotus Kindle
An Account of Egypt, by Herodotus
An Account of Egypt, by Herodotus
An Account of Egypt, by Herodotus
An Account of Egypt, by Herodotus
