By Emma Bridges, Edith Hall, and P. J. Rhodes Abstract: This introductory chapter begins with a brief discussion of the purpose of the book, which is to throw the maximum possible fresh light on both the consistency of…
by Touraj Daryaee Abstract: Daryaee shows that Herodotus was not an infallible interpreter of foreign cultural practices by showing that his presentation of Persian court drinking practices misunderstood the centrality…
By Emma Bridges Xerxes, the Persian king who invaded Greece in 480 BC, quickly earned a notoriety that endured throughout antiquity and beyond. The Greeks’ historical encounter with this eastern king – which resulted,…
By Margaret C. Miller Book Description: It is a commonplace of modern scholarship that the Athenians hated and despised the Persians, but the claims of contempt are disproved by the evidence of archaeology, epigraphy,…
By Emily Baragwanath Abstract: Herodotus sought to communicate not only what happened, but also the background of thoughts and perceptions that shaped those events and was also critical to their interpretation in…
By Edith Hall Abstract: Incest, polygamy, murder, sacrilege, impalement, castration, female power, and despotism: these are some of the images by which the Greek tragedians defined the non-Greek, `barbarian’ world.…